Paul Finebaum Predicts Which School Has Lead For Lane Kiffin Amid LSU, Florida Rumors

The race for Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is heating up this month with multiple SEC programs looking to lure him out of Oxford.

It's no secret Kiffin is the hottest name on this year's coaching carousel with the Florida Gators and LSU Tigers set to roll out the red carpet, but Kiffin has remained mum on the subject.

No. 5 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) is in the midst of a historic season in the Magnolia State with the program on the verge of reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history.

“I don’t know. I’m not that far down the road,” Kiffin said this week of his future. “I said it last week and you guys think I was joking, or it was before South Carolina. Everybody wants to talk about other jobs and everything and I think you are two or three weeks away from coaching for your own job.

"So, you better make sure you’re doing really well where you are. Because as we’ve seen out there, one (loss) might put you out of the top-10. Now two might put you out of the Top 25 and three might get you fired."

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

But the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators haven't been shy about their run for Kiffin with social media swirling surrounding the future of the decision-maker.

This week, Fox Sports' Joel Klatt revealed the LSU Tigers are willing to offer Kiffin a "blank check" in order to secure his services - if needed.

“There’s an old coaching adage out there that the quickest way to be defeated is to be distracted,” Klatt said. “I think that the biggest threat to Ole Miss down the stretch is distraction. And that distraction in the form of their future head coach.

"I don’t know where Lane Kiffin is going to end up. I know that Ole Miss is basically telling him, ‘Hey, it’s a blank check. You tell us what you need to stay here, and we will do it.’ I have that on good authority.

“I also have, on pretty good authority, that LSU is prepared to do the same thing for Lane Kiffin. They’ll basically tell him, ‘The keys are yours.’ Florida is a job that I think Lane would prefer over the other two, from what I’ve been told, and they are not quite in the same boat as Ole Miss and LSU in terms of ‘here, the sky is yours and name your price.’ There are more strings.”

Ole Miss Rebels Football: Lane Kiffin. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

But ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum believes it's the Florida Gators that have the edge in the "Kiffin Sweepstakes" this fall.

“Everybody seems to know something, and he is going to have a difficult time these next couple of weeks dealing with it. Because everything seems to be pointing toward Florida,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show.

"Lane Kiffin is the story right now, and as the week unfolded last week, the Kiffin rumors started going crazy. We’re not here to discuss rumors, but you could not avoid it.”

Now, as the coaching carousel heats up, all eyes are on the Ole Miss shot-caller and what his future holds as LSU and Florida look to lure him out of Oxford.

More Ole Miss News:

National Analyst Believes Miami Dolphins Should Hire Ole Miss Football's Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss Football Great Doubles Down on Lane Kiffin to Florida Gators 'Not Happening'

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

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.