Lane Kiffin, head coach of Ole Miss, appeared on The Pat McAfee show to try and calm things down. A day after an incident involving a plane tracker and Kiffin family member caught on camera visiting Baton Rouge. This was not the show to watch if you were looking for clarity. Kiffin was the most notable, as he denied that Ole Miss administrators have ever given him an ultimatum requiring him to make a final decision before the Egg Bowl. Kiffin claimed that “there has never been an ultimatum.” “I have no idea where this came from. It’s like most of the stuff that is out there. We’re having an absolute blast, as I said. “I love it here.”
It’s true that Kiffin made the statement on Tuesday, but the whole story is much more complex than what he said. It was revealed Monday that the rumors, which had been swirling for weeks, were finally coming to light after the unusual situation where a head coach’s ex-wife, Layla Kiffin took a plane on her own for a visit to the campus of a school he considered taking a job at. CBS Sports sources said that there had been a similar trip to Gainesville just the day before. However, the publicity surrounding LSU sent the college sports industry into a frenzy and Ole Miss supporters furious at the brazenness of the whole thing. Kiffin family members visited Florida and LSU over the past few days. According to sources, Lane realized that delaying a decision to after the Rebels season was not possible. Ole Miss wanted clarity on Kiffin’s situation. Lane was seeking as much reliable information as possible to help him make his decision. As the timeline accelerated, he wanted to get as many details as he could from trustworthy sources. Football Playoff. Of course, thinking about it or even expressing it is not the same as actually doing it. It has been a genuine conversation within the Ole Miss Athletics Administration.
Kiffin has now admitted to making mistakes in his handling of Auburn’s interest. Ole Miss’ season was derailed by the drama of will-he-or won’t-he. It left a bad taste in the mouths administrators, fans and boosters. Kiffin nearly taking the Auburn position helped Ole Miss get to this point. It led to a NIL fundraiser drive to compete against Auburn’s perceived larger war chest. Ole Miss supporters rallied and gave all they had to Kiffin to keep him in Oxford. They wanted to show that he would have the resources needed to win big. The season was not without its challenges, particularly when an 8-1 record collapsed to a disappointing 8-5 result that included the Egg Bowl defeat by Mississippi State.
In a scene reported first in my “The price: what it takes to win in college FootballAfter the loss to Mississippi State, a booster updated his offer: “I’ll give that f–er $500,000 to leave.” And after the loss to Mississippi State came an updated offer from the booster: “I’ll give that f—er $500,000 to leave.” The frustration was evident in the final stages of the process, and the booster wasn’t the only one to think so. Kiffin has become the Oxford celebrity of choice after three years of winning, but the scar tissue is still there. Ole Miss administrators, according to sources were very frustrated by the Auburn distractions that derailed a potentially great season. It appears that this is affecting their desire to not repeat the same thing, even if the first attempt worked for Ole Miss. It’s not just athletics that are frustrated. Many university staffers have been upset with Kiffin in recent weeks. Kiffin leaving for another school in January would create a very real time crunch. Ole Miss, with the early signing period beginning Dec. 3, and the transfer window opening Jan. 2, would be in a major disadvantage if Kiffin left after a quarterfinal game or semifinal early in January. Lane is not likely to change his mind and, to date, he’s continued to claim that he hasn’t made a final decision. However, sources say that if Lane does not make a final decision, Ole Miss would be prepared to hire either Joe Judge, former New York Giants coach, as interim coach or to begin a coaching hunt.
It’s not ideal. That’s what is causing the frustration and anger that Ole Miss fans have directed at Kiffin. Kiffin, Ole Miss administrators, and boosters have achieved all they hoped for in Oxford this year. The Rebels (10-1), who are virtually guaranteed to qualify for the playoffs, could even receive a bye or a home game in the first round if the beat Mississippi State. It is meant to be a culmination of the hard work, sweat and money that has been spent in order to transform Ole Miss into an elite national contender. Kiffin’s public flirtation between two rival SEC colleges has taken all the air out of the room. This is not Kiffin’s problem. The brutal calendar of college football has forced him into a difficult situation where he must manage both outside interests and the team’s season. Kiffin, in many ways, is the college football version of Loki. It’s a lot more fun to troll when you think that you are the target of the joke. You can feel completely different when you believe you are the target of a joke. This is what’s going on with Ole Miss fans and boosters. They believe that the man, who went to great lengths to show he had changed, is now back to his old ways. They are afraid they are being duped, that Kiffin is using their hopes and dreams as social media content.
Will they accept his return if he decides he wants to stay? Yes, of course. There is growing concern within Ole Miss, however, that Kiffin may not love the school as much as he has publicly stated. He has publicly and privately complained about the fanbase, including Saturday night’s comments about The Citadel crowd. He’s been longing to coach a team of true bluebloods again. LSU, as well as Florida, are eager to provide him with this opportunity. Kiffin may feel, as a booster who is well acquainted with him put it, that he has already achieved everything in Oxford. Source: “He has run it like it is his hometown, and there’s no longer a chase for him. He’s a chaser. The chase has ended because he’s conquered the game.
Kiffin’s not won the ultimate conquest – a national title – but making it to a playoff would be an incredible accomplishment. Sources say that if Lane left Ole Miss to go to LSU or Florida he would do so because he believed he had reached his limit in Oxford, and he thought he could win a championship more easily in Baton Rouge, or Gainesville. Lane’s family and friends are urging him to stay at Ole Miss. Others believe that he’ll be happier in Florida and have a better chance of winning a national championship. Kiffin can’t make those statements because he isn’t sure what he wants. McAfee can’t hear him tell McAfee he won’t be leaving Ole Miss. That would be a blatant lie. He could. Multiple sources told CBS Sports in the past week that they believed it was more likely than no that Kiffin would leave, but there were always caveats about “you never knew what he’s gonna do” with him. Auburn learned three years ago that nothing is finalized until Kiffin signs the contract, no matter how many sources tell you otherwise. While Kiffin continues to insist that he does not deal with such things during the season, it is clear that this has not prevented him from looking for other jobs. Multiple top coaches have opted out of what has been a crazy coaching cycle in favor of a contract extension and monetary raise at their school.
Curt Cignetti of Indiana. Mike Elko and Texas A&M. Matt Rhule of Nebraska. Rhett Loshlee of SMU. Kiffin would be able to do it if he so desired. Ole Miss wishes he’d do it. Kiffin’s future at Ole Miss is in danger of being jeopardized every time he doesn’t show up.
The battle isn’t yet over. Some still hold on to the hope that Lane will announce soon that while Florida, LSU and other schools desperately wanted him to save their programs he would stay at Ole Miss in order to finish what he began. He could. Ole Miss wants nothing more than clarity.
2025-11-18 21:31:50
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