Despite the College Football Playoffs just around the corner, the headlines around the sport have all revolved around the future of Lane Kiffin. He is currently steering an Ole Miss team destined for the playoffs with the Egg Bowl rivalry against Mississippi State right around the corner, as well.
With the success in Oxford, the job openings at LSU and Florida have created significant buzz around the potential of him leaving for one of those positions. With reports about his family visiting the towns and other news, questions began to surface around the potential timing of a decision, as well.
Would Kiffin finish out the year even if he left? Would he leave his team hanging heading into the playoffs? Could the timeline be quick enough that he’s gone before the clash with MSU?
On Friday, Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter posted a statement on his X to give some clarity in this regard. He said he is expecting a decision and announcement to be made on the Saturday following the team’s game against the Bulldogs.
“Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting today with Chancellor Boyce,” Carter said. “While we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our sixth-ranked team that is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion. Despite the outside noise, Coach Kiffin is focused on preparing our team for the Egg Bowl, and together, we want to ensure that our players and coaches can concentrate fully on next Friday’s game. This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it’s imperative they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the week ahead. An announcement on Coach Kiffin’s future is expected the Saturday following the game.”
Let’s lock in and focus on keeping the Golden Egg! pic.twitter.com/5xPfDozhl2
— Keith Carter (@KeithCarterOM) November 21, 2025
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Kiffin has become an increasingly popular name in coaching searches, given his turnaround of Ole Miss. He’s stayed in Oxford despite opportunities elsewhere, though, but there has never been more buzz surrounding his name than this year.
In his sixth year with the Rebels, he owns a 54-19 record atop the program. However, he is yet to make the playoffs despite years as good as 10-2 in 2023 in the four-team era and 9-3 a year ago in the expansion to 12. Even if he loses to Mississippi State to round out the year, his team should still be in the 12-team field this year, though.
Prior to his time at Ole Miss, he spent three years at FAU. This came after a hiatus from being a head coach when he was fired by USC after a 3-2 start in 2013. He took the Trojans’ job in 2010 after one season at Tennessee. His departure from the Vols after a 7-6 season caused chaos in Knoxville and helped send UT down a spiral it only recently recovered from.
