Don't Ask Lane Kiffin About Other Jobs. He's Not Discussing Them

As the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers target Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, he made it clear he won't talk about his future.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is considered a top candidate for both the Florida Gators and for LSU. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin made one thing clear during Wednesday's SEC Coaches Teleconference as both LSU and the Florida Gators pursue him: He's not talking about other jobs.

In fact, he said some variation of that statement six times across his 11-minute portion of the weekly meeting, during which he was asked 11 questions regarding his future.

No questions were asked about last week's win over Florida, injury updates, or what he's seeing from his team during the bye week—traditional questions asked during the teleconference.

"I'm gonna stay on what I've done for six years, which isn't talking about other jobs and that situation," Kiffin said when asked about providing clarity on his future to Ole Miss. "(AD) Keith (Carter) and I - I've seen him twice already today. Keith and I have a great relationship. We communicate daily on a lot of things, and I love it here, and it's been amazing."

Ole Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is the main name in this year's coaching cycle. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Other topics brought up included a rumored conversation with the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, which Kiffin declined to comment on and Landry denies happened, as well as whether or not he anticipates coaching next week against Mississippi State, an effect of a rumored ultimatum by the Rebels that Kiffin denied happened.

"Do you know something I don't know?" Kiffin responded. "... Do I expect to coach next week? Why would I not expect to coach next week? I mean, I expected to coach against Florida, too. So I don't even understand the question of how I would not expect to coach next week? Why would I be at work?"

He was also asked when he hoped to have clarity on his future, and later avoided a question on if it was a possibility that he would take a job before the postseason.

"I've been saying the same thing for six years; I’m not talking about speaking on other jobs," he said. "I’m focused on this one. I guess that’s kind of spiraling off the question before, like, ‘Are you coaching in the game?’ I don’t even understand what the question is. Of course I’m coaching, I mean, unless you guys know something I don’t or I’m getting fired and I don’t know it.”

Kiffin has found himself the subject of coaching searches nearly every offseason since taking the Ole Miss job in 2020. Specific to Florida, this is his third occasion.

While the Gators targeted and hired Billy Napier in 2021 as their lone candidate, Kiffin was named by many early as a potential candidate. Last season, Florida again chose Napier over Kiffin, choosing to keep Napier despite a losing record despite rumors that Kiffin would be interested in the job.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin greets Florida Gators interim head coach Billy Gonzales during pregame warmups. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Now, Kiffin finds himself publicly targeted by both LSU and Florida while his Rebels are off to a 10-1 start, likely to be 11-1 and heading to the College Football Playoff for the first time. Kiffin usually positively sees the attention, but was audibly frustrated during Wednesday's call.

“It doesn’t feel good on this call. Somehow, it spun really negatively," he said. "I’ve said it before, if programs want your coach, that should be looked at as an amazing thing and a great thing by your fans.

"So if programs want your coach because you’re 10-1 and whatever, we’ve had three ten-win seasons in a row, which has never been done at Ole Miss before. Is that a good thing that other programs want your coach because your program's experienced success it's never had? Or would you rather be 5-6 or 6-5 or something right now, and no one wants your coach? I would look at it from that perspective.”

It remains to be seen where Kiffin ends up. Social media rumors run rampant. Both people close to Florida and LSU are convinced he will be their next head coach. Ole Miss fans hold onto hope it is all smoke, and he will be back coaching the Rebels in 2026.

Nonetheless, with two weeks left in the regular season, Kiffin's candidacy and its effects on the coaching cycle as a whole remain the top storyline in college football, even if Kiffin refuses to talk about it.