Lane Kiffin might not be the best coach in college football. But the current Ole Miss coach (for the moment anyway) is suddenly the biggest name in the business.
He has been linked to the coaching vacancies at LSU and Florida. There’s even been some long-shot speculation that Kiffin could end up in the National Football League. At this point, it’s mostly just talk. But where there is smoke, there’s usually fire. And, given Kiffin’s nomadic history, this could turn into an inferno.
Let’s take a look at where Kiffin could be coaching next season:
STAY AT HOME
There’s a strong case to be made for Kiffin staying in Oxford. He has Ole Miss on the cusp of the College Football Playoffs and the Rebels should be very good for at least the next few seasons. Kiffin reportedly is making $8.75 million per year at Ole Miss. If he plays his cards right and uses LSU and Florida as leverage, he could probably squeeze a few million more out of Ole Miss and land a long-term contract extension.
That all would make a lot of sense and it would make Ole Miss fans very happy. For the first time in his life, Kiffin could have something of a “forever home”. Although the flamboyant and high-speed Kiffin and the small southern city of Oxford may seem like total opposites, there are indications that they might not be all that different.
Kiffin has talked about how comfortable he is at Ole Miss. His lifestyle has slowed down and he says he’s been sober for over four years. His oldest daughter, Landry, is 20 and a student at Ole Miss. His youngest child, Knox is a high school quarterback in Oxford and is viewed as a top prospect in the Class of 2028. Kiffin’s ex-wife Layla, who he was divorced from in 2016, lived in California after the couple’s initial split, but has moved to Oxford in recent years. At this point, Kffin and his wife seem to have a cordial relationship.
Add all that up and it would make a ton of sense for Kiffin, 50, to realize the grass isn’t always greener else where and stay put in a place where he’s comfortable. Except that just might not be in Kiffin’s DNA. Long before he had a job, Kiffin was in an environment where jumping jobs and packing up and moving was the norm.
His father, Monte Kiffin, was an iconic defensive coordinator, who had numerous stops as a college and NFL assistant. Lane Kiffin was born in Nebraska, went to high school in Minnesota and played college football at Fresno State and spent a few summers working as a ball boy for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when his father was their defensive coordinator. As an adult, Kiffin has held coaching 13 jobs and the Ole Miss job, which he took in 2020, has marked the longest he’s stayed in one place.
Maybe it’s time to move again while he’s got plenty of attractive options. Keep in mind, Kiffin has a strong competitive streak. Maybe he thinks he’s done all he can at Ole Miss and it might be time to move to a program that, at least at various times, has been viewed as a national powerhouse and has seemingly endless financial resources.
NEXT KING OF THE SWAMP?
On many levels, Florida and Kiffin appear to be a perfect match. Kiffin has strong ties within the state of Florida. Aside from spending time in Tampa, he was an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars early in his career and had success as a head coach at Florida Atlantic from 2017-19. Although he’s estranged from his wife, she and his children have shown a willingness to follow Kiffin wherever he goes.
And here’s the thing not a lot of people realize: Layla Kiffin is the daughter of former University of Florida and NFL quarterback John Reeves. She grew up in Florida and might not be opposed to getting back to the Sunshine State.
But that’s only the personal side of the equation for Kiffin. For Florida and his strong network of boosters, landing Kiffin would be a coup. In a lot of ways, Kiffin is like Steve Spurrier (cocky, outspoken and offensive minded). In the eyes of many boosters and alumni, Spurrier was the greatest thing ever to come through Gainesville and Kiffin could be Spurrier 2.0.
It’s pretty safe to assume the Gators will make a strong run at Kiffin and his deep SEC ties. Given his background, family history and coaching history of always looking for the next step up the ladder, Florida could be too good a situation to pass up.
THE BAYOU ALSO COULD LOOK NICE
It’s logical to connect the dots and project Kiffin as the next LSU coach. Kiffin has shown he can succeed in the ultra-competitive SEC and fans in Baton Rouge are screaming that he’s their favorite pick to take over the Tigers.
Much like Florida, LSU has a a strong and wealthy base of fans. In the state of Louisiana, LSU football is king, the New Orleans Saints are a distant second and everything else isn’t even close. LSU is an easy place to recruit and the challenge of returning he Tigers to national prominence could be very tempting for Kiffin.
It’s not hard to picture Kiffin finally doing the one thing he hasn’t — win a national championship or championships — in Baton Rogue, where national titles are almost expected. Ole Miss’ only official national championship came in 1960. LSU has won four national championships, including three in this century. The most recent came in 2019 and Kiffin could view LSU as the place that would put him in the fastest position to win a national title.
A RETURN TO THE NFL
This is a very long shot. But, with Kiffin, who once bailed on Tennessee after just one season, anything is possible. Kiffin had a brief, and not very successful, stint as an NFL head coach a long time ago. That was in 2007-08 with the Oakland Raiders, where Kiffin and Raiders owner Al Davis had an ugly split. The time with the Raiders was one of the rare times that didn’t have success. Maybe that’s something that gnaws on him and maybe — just maybe — he has a desire to coach in the NFL again and prove that he can succeed on that level.
That’s why there’s one possible fit that at least has some logic behind it. Kiffin was very popular in South Florida when he was at Florida Atlantic. The Miami Dolphins have fallen on hard times. That’s why Kiffin’s name as surfaced in speculation as the possible next coach for the Dolphins. But, again, that one’s a long shot.
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