Joel Klatt Reveals Prediction on LSU Football's Top Head Coach Target's Future

The LSU administration continues navigating a coaching search in Baton Rouge following the firing of Brian Kelly in late October.

After parting ways with Kelly, the LSU administration put together a search committee with new athletics director Verge Ausberry set to spearhead the group looking for a new decision-maker.

Scott Ballard: Chairman of the board
John Carmouche: Chairman of athletics
Ben Bordelon: Ex-LSU football player and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards
E.J. Kleeper: CEO of Our Lady of the Lake
Verge Ausberry: Athletic Director

LSU President Wade Rousse has also been added to the coaching search committee after being elected last week.

The coaching search is heating up this week, but it's no secret LSU's top target is Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin has emerged as the hottest name on the market this fall with the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators intensifying their pursuits for his services.

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Oct 25, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

No. 7 Ole Miss (9-1, 5-1 SEC) is positioned well in the College Football Playoff conversation, but it's the future of Kiffin that has stolen headlines down the stretch of the 2025 season.

Now, as the rumor mill continues swirling, college football analysts have begun locking in what they believe Kiffin will do this offseason with LSU and Florida looking to get him out of the Magnolia State.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt has changed his prediction on what he believes Kiffin will do after the season. Will he remain in Oxford or depart for a different gig?

Joel Klatt's Take: Kiffin's Future

"I don’t think Lane’s going to take that job," Klatt said of the LSU opening. "I think he’s I think he’s going to stay at Ole Miss.

"If you would asked me last week, I would have said, 'No, no, no. He’s definitely going to leave.'

"Let me like make an analogy to Colorado, which is where I played," Klatt added. "Colorado needed Deion Sanders badly, like they needed air to breathe. But I would make the argument Deion needed a place like Colorado because it wasn’t a place that was going to be heavy-handed with tradition or, 'You can’t do this or that.'

LSU Tigers Football. — Oct 25, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin celebrates with fans after the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

"It’s just like, you’ve got the keys to the entire castle, do it how you want to do it, this is your program. And in some ways, Lane has that at Ole Miss, and he wouldn’t have that at other places.

"At Ole Miss, it’s his program," Klatt added. "I think if you sat back, if you’re Lane, and you value that, then you would stay. That’s why I’m leaning that direction. I think Ole Miss is good for Lane as much as Lane is good for Ole Miss."

More LSU News:

Elite LSU Football Commit Reaffirms Pledge Despite Ohio State, Ole Miss Pushing

Five Players LSU Football Must Keep After Brian Kelly's Firing, Including DJ Pickett

ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

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