College Football Analysts Debate Lane Kiffin vs. Eli Drinkwitz for Florida Gators Job

Kiffin remains a "top candidate" for multiple head coaching vacancies, Gators among the schools to watch.

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin has been tied to multiple head coaching vacancies as he navigates the 2025 season in Oxford.

Kiffin and Co. are in the midst of a 7-1 season with the Rebels earning statement wins over Oklahoma and LSU in order to catapult their status to the No. 7 ranked program in the latest AP Top-25 Poll.

Now, the rumor mill is swirling surrounding where Kiffin will call the shots in 2026 whether it be remaining with the Ole Miss Rebels or departing the Magnolia State for an opportunity with the LSU Tigers or Florida Gators.

Once the administration in Gainesville relieved Billy Napier of his duties as sthe Gators' decision-maker following Week 8, Kiffin was immediately linked as a potential candidate.

Kiffin and Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz have been labeled as two candidates to watch as the program navigates its coaching search, but what do the national analysts believe?

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

"Nothing has worked at Florida since Urban Meyer’s reign, and it’s tried every model: the successful G5 coach (Napier, Jim McElwain), the established P4 coach (Dan Mullen), the hot assistant (Will Muschamp)," The Athletic's Joe Rexrode wrote on Wednesday. "After Napier, it’s time to look a level higher and pluck a guy who has done tremendous things at Missouri.

"If you’re Drinkwitz, you’re looking at a place that finally seems to have figured out what a coach needs to return to winning national championships. This won’t thrill Florida fans, but they’ll already be mad about losing Kiffin to LSU anyway."

The Athletic believes Florida will go in an opposite direction of Kiffin and make the move to reel in Drinkwitz once it's all said and done.

For Kiffin and the No. 7 ranked Ole Miss Rebels, the program is eyeing its first College Football Playoff in program history after starting the season 7-1.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

Heading into Week 10, the Rebels will host the South Carolina Gamecocks with an opportunity to remain firmly in the race for significant postseason opportunities in Oxford.

More Ole Miss News:

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Tony Vitello Pokes Fun at Ole Miss Football's Lane Kiffin in Goodbye to Tennessee

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