Two Potential Candidates for Ole Miss Football If Lane Kiffin Departs The Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels remain in headlines this month with the program awaiting a decision from head coach Lane Kiffin as his future in Oxford remains up in the air.

Despite the Rebels within arms reach of a College Football Playoff berth, Kiffin has been non-committal on signing a contract extension with the program despite full support from the Ole Miss administration.

Now, the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators are in pursuit of the coveted shot-caller with the program in Baton Rouge beginning to pick up steam.

Fast forward to Friday and LSU has emerged as a "real threat" to land Kiffin, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

"With Lane, nothing is ever off the table, as you probably know," a source told Schlabach on Tuesday. "I think that LSU is a real threat. There was so much smoke around Florida, but LSU is the one that really scares you."

LSU Tigers Football. — Nov 15, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts with Mississippi Rebels tight end Caleb Odom (4) during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

If Kiffin elected to depart Oxford for either LSU or Florida, is there a backup plan in place to lead the program?

Two Potential Candidates to Know:

No. 1: Jon Sumrall - Tulane Green Wave

Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall would emerge as the No. 1 target on the Ole Miss board if Kiffin were to depart Oxford.

According to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, there is no doubt that the Rebels would pursue Sumrall if Kiffin went to either LSU or Florida.

“If you’re Ole Miss, and all this hiring and firing is going on and all these targets, perhaps your top targets for a replacement for Lane could be gone,” Dellenger said. “Then you want an answer as quick as possible.

"This is the bye week, so they want clarity so they can spring into action after the Mississippi State game if they need to go find a coach, and perhaps even spring into action if they get clarity this week before the Mississippi State game and do the interview process, potentially, with a new coach.”

“I don’t think it’s any secret Ole Miss has some affinity for Jon Sumrall at Tulane,” Dellenger said. “A lot of schools have interest in Jon Sumrall, which makes it more of a pressure point for [Ole Miss] to get an answer from Lane as soon as they can.

“I think having clarity at some point this week is the goal.”

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Sep 20, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) and Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall (right) embrace after the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 2: Eli Drinkwitz - Missouri Tigers

A decision-maker to monitor is Missouri Tigers' Eli Drinkwitz as his name is thrown out in multiple searches - including the LSU Tigers, Florida Gators, and Penn State Nittany Lions.

But Drinkwitz has remained mum on the subject this fall where he dove into his thoughts on being mentioned in searches this month - stating that he's dialed in with Missouri.

He's remained tied to multiple schools, and with the Ole Miss Rebels finding "alignment" from top to bottom, Ole Miss could be a school of interest due to their success in funding.

Ole Miss has adapted to the new era with the program thriving in NIL, the NCAA Transfer Portal, and support from the administration.

As Ole Miss awaits a decision from Kiffin, there could be backup plans in place if he were to depart for Baton Rouge or Gainesville.

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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