Florida predicted to target rising college football HC as alternative to Lane Kiffin

What if Florida can't get Lane Kiffin on their sideline? This up-and-coming college football coach could be next on the Gators' checklist.

Florida could target a head coach in the ACC to replace Billy Napier if the Lane Kiffin plan falls through. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Right now, all hands are on deck at Florida to make Lane Kiffin their next head football coach, but with LSU and Ole Miss still also in the hunt, the Gators have to ensure that they have a credible Plan B on hand just in case.

And unlike before, when the school dipped into the Group of Five to handpick Billy Napier, this time they could select a proven winner at the Power Four level.

A good second-level candidate for the Gators? That would appear to be current Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key, according to a new prediction from CBS Sports.

“Key built his reputation in the trenches, dating back to his playing days as an offensive lineman at Georgia Tech and his early coaching tenure under George O’Leary at UCF,” the prediction notes.

Other names listed are Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri and Jedd Fisch at Washington.

Key has revived Georgia Tech's fortunes

Key is credited with resurrecting the Yellow Jackets program, which has strongly stabilized under his leadership after years of inconsistent and unproductive play.

Tech had a pair of bowl game appearances and 7-plus wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in over a decade after Key being in charge for just two years.

That success has translated into, and markedly improved, in the 2025 season, as Georgia Tech started 8-0 for the first time in six decades, and even now with a loss remains in the thick of the ACC championship race, and thus for a spot in the playoff.

Lane Kiffin still out in front for Florida

Whatever speculation there may be around who the Gators will target if Kiffin moves out of the picture, the Rebels coach does remain the consensus favorite for the job.

Kiffin leads all candidates with a 50 percent likelihood to become the head coach at Florida, according to the latest figures from the prediction market Kalshi.

Drinkwitz and Fisch are tied in second-place at 20 percent, while Key is a distant fifth at 6 percent, as bettors still maintain he will stay at Georgia Tech.

What Brent Key has said about his future

Key hasn’t been shy about stating just how committed he is to the program.

“Since I came back here, since I was named the head coach here, outside of the time with my family, every waking second of my life has gone towards building this program to get to the point that it is right now,” Key said.

“So that we can continue three years from now, five years from now, 10 years from now, and continue to elevate this place.”

Key has been consistent in declaring that he remains locked in with Georgia Tech, more so incidentally than Kiffin has been about his place at Ole Miss.

To that end, the coach has been transparent with his current players about his rumored connection to this or that head coaching vacancy, and has shut down such rumors.

“To be in that conversation, not to be in there for two or three weeks, but to be a consistent team,” Key said. “Not when you lose one game, and people say, ‘Oh, the story book’s over.’ Nah, it is just the beginning. Slice me open and see what colors I bleed.”

(CBS)