Lane Kiffin breaks silence on Ole Miss rumors amid coaching speculation

Within the past month, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has been linked to several notable NFL and college football coaching positions, most prominently to LSU and Florida.

The Gators fired Billy Napier on October 19 and then, less than a week later (October 26), the Tigers let go of Brian Kelly, immediately opening up two of the biggest jobs not just in the SEC but in all of college football.

Recently, reports had indicated that members of Kiffin’s family had visited both Gainesville and Baton Rouge as part of exploratory meetings, and private jets were reportedly arranged to facilitate those visits.

Then, on Monday, amid the swirling interest, several outlets alleged that Ole Miss had set a deadline for Kiffin to decide before the Egg Bowl on November 28.

However, on Tuesday, Kiffin appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and quickly shut down that report, saying that the idea the school had issued an “ultimatum” and put him on any sort of formal clock was “absolutely not true.”

Lane Kiffin, on with Pat McAfee, says the reported “ultimatum” from Ole Miss for him to make a decision is “absolutely not true.”
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 18, 2025

Ole Miss is 10-1 and No. 5 in the AP Top 25 as it pursues a first-ever College Football Playoff berth in program history.

That success has amplified outside interest and media attention.

Kiffin’s college head-coaching resume (Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss) plus NFL experience gives him a 116-53 overall college record and a history of bowl appearances and conference titles at multiple stops.

At Ole Miss alone, he has four 10+-win seasons in six years, and earlier this season, he became the fastest coach in program history to reach 50 career wins (now 54–19 with the Rebels).

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. — Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin embraces running back Kewan Lacy (5) after defeating the Florida Gators at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Kiffin recently triggered a year‑long automatic $9 million extension with Ole Miss that now extends into 2031, complicating outside schools’ ability to move quickly without substantial buyouts or negotiated releases.

Though it was initially reported that a decision could arrive shortly, the timeline has likely been pushed back and will depend on how far Ole Miss goes in December and January.

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