The Lane Kiffin saga is just days away from reaching a new turning point. Last Friday, prior to the Week 13 college football slate, Ole Miss AD Keith Carter announced that an announcement on Kiffin’s future with the Rebels will be announced this Saturday after a rivalry game against Mississippi State on Friday.
Will Kiffin be staying in Oxford? Will he bolt for another SEC program such as LSU or Florida before leading Ole Miss into the playoffs? Is there a mystery time in the distance that has yet to emerge to take him away? Only time will tell. But while we don’t know exactly what will happen, few are surprised that Kiffin’s name is at the center of the college football universe right now.
“We are talking about Lane Kiffin here,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said on a recent episode of SportsCenter. “There’s never been anyone like him. He acts like this is all news to him. He has been running this circus – he is the P.T. Barnum, Matt. All you have to do is say, ‘Listen, I love it here, I just signed a $30 million dollar extension.’ But he didn’t do that. Which leads almost everyone to believe that he’s leaving for either LSU or Florida, or another job that may come open before then.”
Finebaum gave the broad thoughts behind the Kiffin saga that have been rattling around on social media, but also shared his personal take on what’s yet to come this weekend.
“It seems like, I mean, the conventional wisdom is LSU right now,” Finebaum said, speaking with Matt Berrie. “That’s what all the experts (are saying), the same experts who were telling us two weeks ago he was going to Florida. Florida seems like a better fit for him, but then again, is any place, Matt, a good place for Lane Kiffin? Considering the reputation that always seems to chase him around.”
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After leading Florida Atlantic as the head coach from 2017 to 2019, Kiffin left for a return to the SEC with Ole Miss before the 2020 season. He’s been with the Rebels since and has racked up a 54-19 record in Oxford, including the 10-1 record through this point in the 2025 season. Kiffin’s Rebels have yet to reach the playoffs, but are clearly on track to make it this winter. Other accomplishments during his tenure with Ole Miss include a Gator Bowl win, a Peach Bowl win, and an Outback Bowl win.
Including the bowl slate, Kiffin has averaged 9.75 wins per season since a 5-5 start in 2020. With 10 wins already this year, a win over Mississippi State this Friday would up that to an average of 10 wins per season since his first year in 2020.
For more on the Lane Kiffin saga and Saturday’s decision day, click here.
