Well, Now Ole Miss Has Juicy Distraction This Week

Rumor mill starts flying Thursday Rebels coach Lane Kiffin heading to Auburn

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Nov 17, 2022 5:48 PM EST

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

Ole Miss Rebels

Auburn Tigers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Good things usually tend to happen when Ole Miss is getting ready to come to Fayetteville.

Weather and interceptions are just the latest examples.

The rumors started flying wildly Thursday afternoon about coach Lane Kiffin headed to Auburn after they fired Bryan Harsin a few weeks ago.

Then everything start swirling.

Nobody is saying right now he's accepted anything and everyone (including a lot of people at Ole Miss) have automatically assumed Kiffin would be gone somewhere simply because it's hard for the Rebels to match.

Under the laws of the state of Mississippi, coaches cannot have longer than a four-year contract. There are no limits on the amount anybody can spend ... but the length of time cannot be longer than that.

Salary numbers aren't necessarily the driving force in this deal. Kiffin is thought to be more concerned about what each program can offer in terms of NIL. Auburn is thought to have more resources in that department, though The Grove Collective, Ole Miss' NIL arm, has seen membership soar over the last few weeks.

"The NIL collective at Auburn is ten times what it is at Ole Miss," ESPN's Chris Low said on The Next Round . "That's why I think, ultimately, Lane would go."

All of this could be incredibly fortunate for the Razorbacks this weekend. Along with the cold weather that should be in the 30's by the 6:30 p.m. kickoff and headed to the overnight low of 19 degrees.

Lane Kiffin-Ole Miss-Alabama — Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during a timeout during the fourth quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Petre Thomas / USA TODAY Sports)

No one has mentioned Kiffin talking to anybody except Jimmy Sexton, his agent, but now it's being reported by Richard Cross of SuperTalk Mississippi (Hog fans have heard him doing some of the online television basketball games) that Auburn has an offer in front of him.

Kiffin is in his third year at the helm of the Rebels. He has posted a record of 23-10 during that time, leading Ole Miss to the 2020 Outback Bowl championship and a berth in the 2021 Sugar Bowl. The Rebels rank No. 14 this week in the College Football Playoff poll.

For Razorback fans, though, that's an Ole Miss problem.

The Hogs are just trying to qualify for a bowl game.