Lane Kiffin dealt reality check amid Florida, LSU rumors

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin embraces linebacker Suntarine Perkins (4) | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Fox Sports college football broadcaster and analyst Joel Klatt is nursing a high temperature and holds a doctor's note diagnosing him with Lane Kiffin speculation fever. Klatt is tired of the five-act production off the gridiron; he's ready for the Ole Miss head coach to make a decision on his future one way or another. Either stay in Oxford or leave a College Football Playoff contender mid-season.

"Reports flying around that he had relatives, ex-wife, kids out on private planes looking at places in Gainesville, looking at places in Baton Rouge, checking things out," Klatt said, bringing up the Kiffin topic late in a recent episode of his show. "Obviously not a good look," he repeated twice.

"Which is why I have told you all this entire time, the only thing that can derail Ole Miss — and this is really unfortunate for these players who have committed and played really well this year — is the distraction, is their head coach," he added. "The distraction is: Where is he going to be the next year?"

Joel Klatt simply doesn't love that Lane Kiffin is hogging the spotlight in the press clippings by turning his personal coaching decision into a public soap opera involving his whole family.

"In true Lane fashion, now the college football world, at least from a coaching perspective, kind of revolves around him," Klatt commented. "And he loves when things revolve around him. He loves things revolving around him on social media. And he’s he’s soaking this in. He’s out, you know, doing the circuit and doing all the interviews."

Joel Klatt says writing is on the wall with Lane Kiffin

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Don't let the misdirection from Kiffin fool you, says Klatt, because it's all a magic act to distract from the fact he still hasn't just committed to Ole Miss long-term.

"All he needs to do, if he wants to stay at Ole Miss, is do it, because everybody else has," Klatt lectured. "Don’t you understand? Like, the handwriting is on the wall. Why would he stay there now? Because now there's starting to be some animus. Now, Ole Miss is starting to be like, 'I mean, come on. What’s the deal?'"

Whether Kiffin does leave or doesn't, Joel Klatt isn't sure that money is going to be a huge factor, which is something Lane has admitted himself. But at this point, he believes the two sides could be at odds over Kiffin's wishy-washiness towards the Rebels going public as he flirts with conference rivals.

"I do know Ole Miss will match any offer," says Klatt. "So, this is not about money. They will match. He’s got autonomy there. I’m not saying he has to stay. I’m just saying that I understand why Ole Miss feels this way. And the longer this goes, the longer he does not commit to Miss, the worse that relationship is and the more likely it is that he leaves."