Lane Kiffin Hypes Up Gators Talent Ahead of Matchup

The Ole Miss head coach gave his thoughts on the Gators roster, especially quarterback DJ Lagway

The Rebels' head coach is aware of the talent that Florida has on hand | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Sitting at 3-6 and fresh off a 38-7 blowout loss to Kentucky, the Florida Gators don’t exactly scream “threat.”

With that being said, this is the same team that beat No. 9 Texas 29-21 and went toe-to-toe with No. 5 Georgia before falling 24-20.

As Florida prepares to take on No. 6 Ole Miss this Saturday, the Gators aren’t being taken lightly despite their underwhelming record.

During Monday’s press conference, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin said Florida is more talented than their recent loss to Kentucky suggests.

“They’re as talented as anybody… I think last week’s Kentucky game was an outlier for them,” Kiffin said. “We got to be ready to play against a team that's really dangerous.”

Ole Miss currently sits at 9-1, with their only loss coming to No.5 Georgia (by a wider margin than Florida’s loss to the Bulldogs).

Most recently, the Rebels rolled past The Citadel 49-0, fueled by a 333-yard passing performance from Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss. Some other convincing performances from Ole Miss include a 24-19 win over No.4 LSU and a 34-26 win over No.13 Oklahoma.

Florida’s latest outing wasn’t nearly as encouraging, with starting quarterback DJ Lagway getting benched in the second half. Still, Kiffin had high praise for Lagway and the Gators as a whole.

“I think DJ represents their whole team — extremely talented, capable of playing at an elite level. At times, when you watch film, you say, “Man, these guys are as good as anybody,” Kiffin said. “DJ’s like that. He played great against us last year. Anytime you’ve got a guy with an elite arm who’s hard to tackle and can run over you — that’s a problem.”

While Lagway has had a rough season, it’s worth remembering that he was once a five-star prospect and even rated as the NCAA’s top deep passer during his freshman year.

Despite his kind words, when you’re dealing with Lane Kiffin, it’s only natural that he adds a touch of to the mix.

When On3 reported that Lagway had been benched for true freshman Tramell Jones, the Rebels’ head coach responded with a subtle repost.

Lane Kiffin entering the Lagway/Jones chat… @WCJB20 pic.twitter.com/1eRCoqwXz7

— Olivia Eisenhauer (@oeisenhauertv) November 9, 2025

Florida will face off against Ole Miss on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.