Joel Klatt Reveals Stunning New Prediction for Lane Kiffin As LSU Football Pursues

The LSU Tigers are in pursuit of their No. 1 target, Klatt provides new prediction amid a battle for Kiffin's services.

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt at the Holiday Bowl at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As the LSU Tigers navigate a coaching search in Baton Rouge, Ole Miss Rebels decision-maker Lane Kiffin has emerged as the No. 1 target on the board for the administration.

Athletics director Verge Ausberry and his selection committee continue working through the process of finding a new shot-caller for the purple and gold with Kiffin landing as the top candidate.

No. 5 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) has cemented its status as a College Football Playoff contender with the Rebels firmly in the 12-team bracket as things stand, but the buzz around Oxford surrounds Kiffin's future with the program.

The LSU Tigers and Florida Gators have circled Kiffin as their top target with the schools ready to roll out the red carpet.

“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,” Kiffin said during Wednesday's SEC Teleconference.

Nov 15, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels running back Kewan Lacy (5) and head coach Lane Kiffin react after defeating the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

“So if programs want your coach because you’re 10-1 or whatever, and have three 10-win seasons in a row, which has never been done before, is that a good thing that other programs want your coach because you’ve experienced success that it’s never had?"

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt has weighed in on the "Kiffin Sweepstakes" on multiple occasions with the college football analyst now providing his updated prediction on what's next.

Joel Klatt's New Prediction:

“Here’s the thing: If he wanted to stay, he would stay and we would have already known it,” Klatt told Colin Cowherd on The Herd. “Look at all the other coaches around the country that have said they’re staying or signed extensions.

"And Ole Miss, I know, has told him money is not a factor here. Whatever you get offered, we will match it. So it’s not that he’s going to make more somewhere else, which is starting to lead me to believe – and again, I will fully own I have been all over the map on this and Lane. But Lane is a unique cat.

Nov 15, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin runs out of the tunnel prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

“Now, I don’t know if he can come back to Ole Miss. You can’t lead them on for this long. Now, there’s going to start to be animus. Like, ‘Why aren’t you signing an extension? What’s the problem?’ I think he’s going to Florida – I really do.

"I think he’s going to Florida and I think he’s going to be the next coach of the Gators, and I think that we’re going to have one of the biggest messes in college football history go down before the Playoff when Lane Kiffin steps away from a College Football Playoff team and goes to coach another team.”

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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