Florida Moving on From Lane Kiffin, Another Candidate Emerges, per On3 Report

Lane Kiffin was long believed to be Florida's top choice with LSU and Ole Miss also vying for his services.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin was considered Florida's top choice. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- It appears the Florida Gators' chase for Lane Kiffin has come to an end.

Florida, which has considered Kiffin its top candidate for its coaching search, is moving on from Kiffin after irregular communication that led to UF believing he was considering other options more seriously, according to multiple reports.

The decision was first reported by On3's Zach Abolverdi with ESPN's Pete Thamel corroborating.

Kiffin, currently coaching Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, will now reportedly decide between staying with the Rebels or going to LSU. He is expected to make his future plans known on Saturday.

Sources: Florida does not expect to land Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and is closing in on other targets.

In recent days, sources said Kiffin’s erratic communication and behavior has led UF to think he may be more interested in his other options.

DETAILS: https://t.co/a3rTUflBOp pic.twitter.com/X23Z3xE24R

— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) November 28, 2025

Kiffin has long been tied to the UF job. In 2021, when Florida hired Billy Napier, Kiffin was a rumored potential candidate, but Florida ultimately decided to make Napier the sole candidate and hired him in November of that year.

In 2024, when it seemed imminent Napier would be fired, Kiffin appeared to be Florida's top candidate if the Gators made a coaching change. Florida ultimately decided to keep Napier for the 2025 season, and he was fired after a 3-4 start.

Since Napier's firing, Kiffin immediately became a known target and recipient of multiple rumors surrounding the position. He reportedly addressed the position with Ole Miss players in late October and refused to discuss his future in recent weeks.

"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."

Sources told Florida Gators on SI that Kiffin's representatives met with UF representatives over a week ago.

LSU joined the fold in late October after firing Brian Kelly. The Tigers recently formally fired Kelly without cause after exploring options to fire him for cause and avoid a $54 million buyout.

The three schools were all believed to have similar offers for Kiffin with over $90 million in salary and bonuses as well as over $20 million in NIL pledges.

Candidates to now know in the search include Washington's Jedd Fisch, Louisville's Jeff Brohm, Georgia Tech's Brent Key and Tulane's Jon Sumrall, who was first reported to have cancelled a meeting with UF and pulled himself out of the candidate pool.

Despite that, Sumrall is believed to be the top candidate, according to On3's Pete Nakos, Chris Low and Brett McMurphy. He is expected to make a decision on Sunday with Auburn in play as well as LSU and Ole Miss, depending on Kiffin's decision.

Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall is now believed to be one of Florida's top choices. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Other original candidates included former Penn State head coach James Franklin, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, who reportedly interviewed with UF. Franklin recently became Virginia Tech's head coach, while Drinkwitz and Lea each signed extensions in recent days.

"My sense is we will have a wide variety of candidates," athletic director Scott Stricklin said after firing Napier. "We want people who can win championships at the University of Florida. That's going to be our goal. We want somebody who can come in here, be a strong leader and win championships. And, like I said, there's probably people from a lot of different backgrounds that could have the potential to do that."