College Football Icon Believes Lane Kiffin Should Stay At Ole Miss, Avoid LSU Tigers

Kiffin remains the hottest name on this year's coaching carousel, tied to multiple openings.

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

Brian Kelly is out as the head coach in Baton Rouge after being relieved of his duties on Sunday night with another SEC job opening this fall.

The coaching carousel is heating up across college football with the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, Arkansas Razorbacks and more holding open jobs heading into the offseason.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin has emerged as a potential candidate with schools across the country preparing to piece together strong offers.

With the LSU gig now available, social media is swirling surrounding "Kiffin to LSU," but one college football icon believes the Rebels' decision-maker should stay put.

Cam Newton doesn’t believe Kiffin should depart the Magnolia State and bolt for another job.

Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton cheers on his team from the sideline as Auburn Tigers take on Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. Auburn Tigers lead Georgia Bulldogs 10-3 at halftime. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LSU and Florida are premier destinations, but the former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL icon, thinks Kiffin should stay at Ole Miss and build the Rebels into a national contender.

“I think the hottest person right now is Lane Kiffin, but I would be questionable to take that job if I’m Lane Kiffin, because you will be chasing somebody else’s greatness at any of the schools that are vacant,” Newton explained via First Take. “You’ll already be compared to Urban Meyer if you’re at the University of Florida.

“If you go to LSU, you have the likes of Ed Orgeron and, you know, Nick Saban and those guys and Les Miles. If you stay at Ole Miss — if I’m Lane Kiffin, I say, ‘Give me what I’m owed, and I can build something great that has never been here before.’

“Even with the likes of Eli Manning and the greatness of so many other players in Ole Miss history, you are able to create your own legacy. Something that hasn’t been done before. That’s why Indiana paid their coach, because they understand. There will be coaching vacancies, and the coaching carousel will move.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

“But if I’m Lane Kiffin, and him being such a polarizing person, just with what he did this past weekend with shunning the player, I love that in a coach. I love the bravado that he brings. But I think he’s in the right space right there at Ole Miss, because he can create his own narrative, and now he doesn’t feel the pressure of everybody else.”

Kiffin remains linked to multiple head coaching vacancies as the Ole Miss Rebels navigate a potential run to the College Football Playoff.

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