Lane Kiffin posts cryptic message as coaching rumors continue to run wild

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

Lane Kiffin holds in his hands the fates of at least three SEC college football programs. Reports surfaced Monday suggesting Kiffin is being heavily pursued by LSU and Florida, and his family members apparently already visited Gainesville and Baton Rouge to scout the respective cities out. So, will the coveted Ole Miss coach leave Oxford? On Tuesday, he provided little clarity.

While rumors connecting Kiffin's name to LSU and Florida swirl all around him, Ole Miss has even decided to give Lane Kiffin a deadline on when they want a decision. The Athletic wrote on Monday: "Ole Miss has given Lane Kiffin an ultimatum to decide his future before the Nov. 28 Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, a person briefed on the discussions told The Athletic."

On Tuesday, though, Kiffin said good morning by posting a very cryptic message on X at 5:12 AM Oxford time. It read:

"How do you know what to do next? You ask yourself, honestly, what your 90-year-old self would advise you to do. What they would have wished you had done. You ask yourself, honestly, what you've sensed from the beginning. What you have ignored, what you have quieted and distracted yourself from. You make two lists, the positives and the negatives, and you weigh them. And if there is one thing on the left that overpowers the dozen things on the right, then you trust that. You ask yourself what path will make you more of the person you are meant to be."

After some digging into the matter, that quote appears to come from a book called The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest. She's a 33-year-old author and published that book in 2023. But in 2025, it appears that novel applies to Lane Kiffin's situation... as the most sought-after college football coach in the country and needing to make a decision whether to pivot from Ole Miss or sign a new deal in Oxford for the long haul.

Lane Kiffin has made sure to focus most questions about his future back towards his current team at public appearances, and he's yet to waver for a second on his commitment to getting to the College Football Playoff, and winning games in it, with this particular group. However, as the walls cave in with other schools hotly pursuing him, Ole Miss has sort of backed Kiffin into a corner, demanding an answer on his future.

Who's to say what the unpredictable Ole Miss coach will do next.

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Alex Weber
ALEX WEBER

Born and raised in the state of Kentucky, Alex Weber has published articles for many of the largest college sports media brands in the country, including On3, Athlon Sports, FanSided, SB Nation, and others. Since 2022, he has also contributed for Kentucky Sports Radio, one of the largest team-specific college sports websites in the nation. In addition to his work in sports journalism, Alex manages content for a local magazine named ‘Goshen Living’ and coaches cross country and track.

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