Stephen A. Smith Reveals Prediction on Lane Kiffin's Next Move Amid LSU, Florida Buzz

Kiffin remains the hottest name on the market, pair of SEC programs looking to lure him out of Oxford.

Oct 25, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin has social media swirling this fall as he emerges as the most popular candidate on the coaching carousel this cycle.

Despite No. 5 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1 SEC) currently within arms reach of a College Football Playoff berth, the buzz surrounding the Rebels is what Kiffin's future holds in Oxford.

The LSU Tigers and Florida Gators are turning up the heat for the coveted shot-caller, and as the coaching carousel ramps up, Kiffin has remained relatively mum on the subject.

“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.

“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?"

Nov 15, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin and his son, Knox Kiffin, walk onto the field after defeating the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Kiffin is the current betting favorite for both the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators gigs, and with Ole Miss remaining a significant factor, the future of Kiffin has social media swirling.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the subject during a Wednesday episode of "First Take" where he revealed a prediction on Kiffin's future.

Stephen A. Smith's Take:

“Y’all leave Lane Kiffin alone! We're not going to do this! We not going to do this to this man. Listen, I’m going to bring it home: He’s in Oxford, Mississippi. OK? Let’s get this out of the way. Now listen ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to say it, y’all can’t say it. Don’t you dare say it, Paul. Don’t you dare say it, Doggie. Leave it to me. I’ll say it!

"The brothers ain’t trying to come to Oxford, Mississippi for the most part, compared to Gainesville or Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lets just call it what it is. You look at the job Lane Kiffin has done at Ole Miss, it’s phenomenal.

"The man has won 74% of his games over the last six years. Ole Miss is in the picture. They can win a national championship. Lane Kiffin, his personality, his cache, it ain’t  Nick Saban, he got to worry about.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

"He’s got the potential to be another Nick Saban, but it’s not going to happen at Ole Miss. Not for years down the road to come. No, no, no, no, no. But Gainesville? At the University of Florida? Baton Rouge? Death Valley? LSU? That’s a different animal…

"From a recruiting standpoint, in terms of longevity, establishing the stayed level of success for many, many years to come, when you’re going up against Alabama, when you’re going up against Georgia, when you’re going up against teams like that.

Ole Miss? I don’t have that kind of faith that a sustained level of excellence is incomparable to what those two programs have done under Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.

"I don’t have that type of confidence. But that man, Lane Kiffin at LSU, that man, Lane Kiffin at Florida, oh that’s a different beast right there. Lane Kiffin knows what he’s talking about. The man has done his job, go out there, try and win a national championship, and then get your ass to Baton Rouge or get your ass to Gainesville, Florida.

"Stop playing games. He ain’t staying at Ole Miss. Get over it. Be happy you had him all of these years and be prepared to wave bye bye. That man will be gone to either Gainesville or Death Valley come January. You can book it because he ain’t stupid. He knows, everybody knows.”

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

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