Lane Kiffin Watch: Latest in Gators’ Search for New Coach
Four vacant SEC coaching jobs, one Lane Kiffin.
The most sought after man in college football has still not decided what his final decision is, will it be Florida?
As the season progresses, more contenders for the Kiffin Sweepstakes keep arising.
Since the firing of Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, the buzz surrounding Kiffin has kept increasing. Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and Florida all have their eyes on the Ole Miss head coach, who has the Rebels ranked seventh in the country.
Other contenders like Penn State and UCLA are also interested in signing Kiffin, but as things stand, the SEC looks like the more appealing job.
Florida’s path to Kiffin seemed simple at first. The only competition the Gators faced was Arkansas and Penn State, but LSU and Auburn fired their head coaches in the last few weeks , giving Kiffin a good bunch to pick from.
However, Florida still remains the favorite. Kalshi – a regulated exchange and prediction market where you can trade on the outcome of real-world events – reports that Kiffin has a 45% chance to be the next Florida head coach, with Missouri’s head coach Eli Drinkwitz coming in second with a 22% chance.
Here’s the latest in the world of Kiffin and the chatter surrounding his coaching destination next season:
Kiffin Speaks
Heading into the match between Ole Miss and Florida, Kiffin was asked about what makes a “good” college coaching job at his Monday press conference.
Kiffin went on to speak for a while about the “checklist” for his ideal coaching job. He stated the days of worrying about facilities and practice fields are over as NIL has taken over the sport.
Kiffin spoke about the “blue bloods” of the sport and how those jobs are the most attractive.
“People will say it’s narrowed, and some stuff has narrowed because you can’t stockpile [talent] at those blue bloods, or however you want to refer to it,” Kiffin said. “But there are still things where you’re gonna struggle to beat those guys because kids get recruited, and they see the size of stadiums, traditions, Heismans and national championships. Then your location to talent. I think all of those are in there.”
There’s one school that comes to mind when you think of all those categories, the University of Florida. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Gators, hosts 89,000 people, the program has had three Heisman winners and three national championships.
When you think of blue blood, you think of the Florida Gators.
New Betting Favorite
Lane Kiffin’s betting odds to be the next Florida Gators coach have skyrocketed after BetOnline updated its odds once again. Kiffin is now listed at -300 after previously being listed at -150. He has now increased his lead on Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz for the No. 1 spot.
Analysts Opinions
Throughout this carousel of coaching rumors, many sports reporters and analysts have come out and made their opinion.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum predicts that Lane Kiffin’s first choice would be the Florida Gators.
“Listen, Oxford’s a great place. Nobody’s saying it isn’t,” Finebaum said on The Opening Kickoff podcast. “But I think Florida is a better job long-term … I think it’s unique and Kiffin has always been attracted to it for whatever reason.”
ESPN College Gameday host Kirk Herbstreit thinks Kiffin should stay in Oxford. “I might stay. I really might in the world we’re in now…Ole Miss has always been kind of a second tier (to) Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, whatever it is. But man, now, what’s your budget look like? What can you afford? “ Herbstreit said on The Ryen Russilo Show.
NFL Interest
Not only are college football programs interested in Kiffin, but now NFL teams are interested in pursuing the Rebels head coach. With Brian Daboll on the hot seat and the Giants bolstering a 2-7 record, there is speculation that Kiffin is a person of interest for the Giants.
Former Ole Miss quarterback and current New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has kept in contact with his former head coach. His dad, Brandon Dart, told the “Bleav in Ole Miss” podcast that Kiffin sent a rumor in the Kiffin-Dart family text thread and replied saying, “It’s too cold in New York for me.”
Another contender is the Miami Dolphins, who after parting ways with GM Chris Grier, have been rumored to part ways with head coach Mike McDaniel. However, reports say this is highly unlikely. But, Sports Illustrated’s Alain Poupart suggested that he wouldn’t count it out, despite it being somewhat unlikely as of now.
Money talks
In this race, program prestige is a factor, but the biggest factor is money. In this world money talks. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said the Gators are as financially committed to the football program as they have ever been.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been as invested as we are right now … as many financial resources and as much commitment has gone into making Gator football as good as it can be,” Stricklin said.
This comes after the Gators fired coach Billy Napier, after the Gators had their worst start since 1986, having to pay him $21 million. Florida knows acquiring Kiffin won’t come at a low price. His current contract at Ole Miss pays him $9 million annually, with an additional $2.6 million available in bonuses.
Kiffin’s ties to Gators
All roads lead to Kiffin having multiple ties to the Gators. The biggest tie being his son Knox, a class of 2028 quarterback, who has Florida in his top three teams.
Kiffin is no stranger to the state of Florida, as he spent three seasons with the Florida Atlantic Owls, where he went 26-13 and won two Conference USA titles. He is very familiar with Florida and the Gators know that.
Kiffin has also always been a huge fan of legendary Gator player and head coach Steve Spurrier. In an interview with Sports Illustrated Kiffin said “I wanted to be Steve Spurrier.”
Why Ole Miss And Not Florida?
As another week has gone by, there is still no announcement of an extension for Kiffin, allowing the rumors to continue rising in the Ole Miss locker room and between Ole Miss commits.
Since arriving at Ole Miss in 2020, Kiffin has helped make the program one of the elites. He boasts a 52-19 overall record, and has led the rebels to three straight seasons with ten or more wins.
All of this attracts Kiffin to stay at Ole Miss, and with all of these programs clawing at him, this can be used to negotiate a big contract extension to secure his future in Mississippi.
The Ole Miss commits have disregarded the rumors and put their faith into the program. “The staff has told me that he’s staying and we’re still locked in for the long haul,” three-star safety commit Nascar McCoy told Rivals.. “They’re building something special and don’t want that to be broken.”
What’s Next?
As the landscape of college football continues to change, the expectations continue to rise for coaches. A record-setting 11 head coaches have been fired this season, with six of those coming from Power Four conferences.
As money continues to be a deciding factor in the era of NIL, who will be more interested in the Florida job?
The question at Florida remains, who will be Napier’s successor?
Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football
