Cam Newton names college football program Lane Kiffin should coach at in 2026

On a Monday segment of First Take, former NFL QB Cam Newton picked which school he'd like to see Lane Kiffin coach at in 2026 as rumors swirl around him at Ole Miss

Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton cheers on his team | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Monday morning's episode of First Take, a debate broke out between Stephen A. Smith and former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton over which college football job the highly coveted Lane Kiffin should take, or not take, this offseason.

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly was fired over the weekend as LSU's open job now joins the fellow vacancies of Florida and Penn State among the major name programs, which triggered yet another coaching search where Kiffin, the Ole Miss coach, is a scalding hot name.

However, when asked if Kiffin should make the trip down the Mississippi River to start over at LSU now that the gig is open, Cam Newton made a passionate case against Kiffin leaving for the Tigers or for any other job.

"I think the hottest person right now is Lane Kiffin, but I would be questionable to take that job if I'm Lane Kiffin," Newton shared. "Because you will be chasing somebody else's greatness at any of the schools that are vacant. You will already be compared to Urban Meyer if you're at Florida. If you go to LSU, you have the likes of Ed Orgeron and Nick Saban and those guys, Les Miles."

At Ole Miss, while the history is still rich, Kiffin doesn't have to stack himself up against former national championship winners, says Newton.

"If I'm Lane Kiffin, I force the hand to say, 'Give me what I'm owed and I can build something great that has never been here before,'" Newton added. "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."

The former NFL star explained that Kiffin can rub people right or wrong, and there's no certainty his style would work somewhere else, when he knows he's in a pretty sweet spot in Oxford.

"Him being such a polarizing person, I love that in a coach," says Newton. "I love the bravado that he brings. But I think he's in the right space right there at Ole Miss because he creates his own narrative."

Stephen A. Smith says Kiffin should go

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After Cam Newton valiantly defended Ole Miss as the perfect spot for Lane Kiffin going forward, Stephen A. Smith offered the dissenting opinion.

"Ooooh, I get it, Cam," Smith joked in response to Newton. "But Ole Miss? Really? Ole Miss is big time now, but when you talk about recruiting some studs, when you talk about being a permenant fixture in the national title picture, I think there's a difference between LSU and Ole Miss long term."

Smith argues Ole Miss is historically more volatile, even under the guide of an exceptional coach like Lane Kiffin, whereas he could raise the ceiling and floor on a year-to-year basis in Baton Rouge, and maybe etch his name into college football history for good with a few titles.

"I think that's something to take him potentially to that next era where we're talking about him like a Kirby Smart, a Dabo Swinney down the line," Smith commented on Kiffin potentially taking the LSU job.

There you have it, one persuasive argument for Lane Kiffin to stay put and enjoy the good times, and a reasonable rebuttal that, no, actually Kiffin should take a job like LSU if he's chasing an all-time legacy.