National Analyst Would Be Stunned To See Lane Kiffin Leave Ole Miss for LSU, Florida

The LSU Tigers remain in pursuit of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as the program in Baton Rouge intensifies its pursuit for a new decision-maker.

It's no secret the LSU administration has circled Kiffin has the top target on the board, but with the No. 5 ranked Rebels in pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth, the timeline remains tricky.

On Monday afternoon, The Athletic reported that Ole Miss had given Kiffin until Nov. 28 to make a decision on whether he will remain in Oxford or accept a job elsewhere amid the LSU buzz.

But Kiffin has since denied that the university has provided an "ultimatum" as he navigates both a College Football Playoff push and decision for his future.

“That’s absolutely not true. There’s been no ultimatum or anything like that at all,” Kiffin said. “I don’t know where that came from, like a lot of stuff that comes out there. Like I said, man, we’re having a blast. I love it here.

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Oxford quarterback Knox Kiffin (13) talks with his dad and Ole Miss football head coach Lane Kiffin on the sidelines during a high school football game between Murrah and Oxford at Hughes Field in Jackson, Miss., on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“… It just couldn’t be better. Like I said, you pray for things. Our fans prayed for this type of thing, and now we’re in the middle of it. So, enjoy it. You’re 10-1. You’re getting ready. You got a bye week.

"You get to watch half the country lose, and there’s no way we can lose Saturday. And then, you play the Egg Bowl and go dominate that and keep that Egg Bowl trophy home where it’s been for a long time.”

Now, ESPN's Dan Wetzel as weighed in on the subject where he would be stunned to see Kiffin depart Ole Miss amid a National Championship chase.

ESPN's Dan Wetzel Weighs In:

“If Lane Kiffin does not sign a deal and says, ‘I’m leaving. I’m going to walk.’ Let’s say he says, ‘Nah, I’m going to leave. I’m going to Florida.’ But he knows that he has to walk out on the best team that he’s ever coached? What the heck are we saying about Lane Kiffin?” Wetzel proposed, via the ESPN College GameDay Podcast.

“I mean, quitting on a potential Final Four team, national championship team. What kind of coach are you that you just say, ‘I have to leave this team where I can compete for a national title,’ to go somewhere else where I might be able to compete for a national title.

“This would be an unbelievably stunning step away. It’d say an enormous amount to many people. People will apologize for it. People will be for it, I don’t care. What the heck, you’re quitting the team. It’d be no different than if Trinidad Chambliss said, ‘I’m quitting the team to prepare for the NFL Draft.’ People would lose their minds.

"So, if that ultimatum is set up that way, and Lane Kiffin walks, that’s a trainwreck. How do you even go back to your players the next year at the next place and say to them, ‘We’re all in. Brotherhood. All for one.’ How do you do that? As a coach — are you a coach, or are you chasing money? Like, that’s crazy.”

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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