Lane Kiffin reportedly offered 'blank check' to lead college football powerhouse

Aside from the games themselves, the fate of head coach Lane Kiffin remains the most consequential storyline in college football right now, with speculation ramping up on where the most sought-after coach in the country could find himself next season.

Right now, Kiffin has Ole Miss on the verge of making its first College Football Playoff, and while the school will work its hardest to keep him around, it will also face some serious competition for his services.

A ‘blank check’ for Lane Kiffin?

College football analyst Joel Klatt says schools will be under pressure to offer Kiffin whatever he wants.

“I don’t know where Lane Kiffin is going to end up. I know that Ole Miss is basically telling him, ‘Hey, it’s a blank check. You can tell us what you need to stay here, and we will do it.’ I have that on good authority,” Klatt said of the situation.

That is to be expected, given the unprecedented success Kiffin has brought Ole Miss, but the school could find itself in a bidding war with a traditional SEC power, too.

Kiffin remains the betting favorite to also become the next head coach at LSU, and that school will be willing to put down some serious cash to scout Brian Kelly’s replacement.

“I also have, on pretty good authority, that LSU is prepared to do the same thing for Lane Kiffin,” Klatt added.

“They’ll basically tell him, ‘The keys are yours.’ Florida is a job that I think Lane would prefer over the other two, from what I’ve been told, and they are not quite in the same boat as Ole Miss and LSU in terms of, ‘Here, the sky is yours and name your price.’ There are more strings.”

What the experts think about it

Kiffin finds himself the most attractive name in coaching circles as college football embarks on a historic firing and hiring cycle.

The 50-year-old coach is the current favorite to become the head coach at two SEC schools entering this week.

Kiffin has a 36 percent chance of becoming the next coach at LSU, and a 50 percent shot at joining the Florida program, according to the prediction market Kalshi.

Both those numbers represent double-digit advantages against his closest competition, with Jon Sumrall at 16 percent odds to land at LSU behind Kiffin, and Jedd Fisch sits behind Lane at just 18 percent for the Gators job.

“There’s an old coaching adage out there that the quickest way to be defeated is to be distracted. I think that’s the biggest threat to Ole Miss down the stretch is distraction. And that distraction in the form of their future head coach,” Klatt said.

It’s quite a lot of pressure for Kiffin and the Rebels to face at a critical moment not only of their season, but as a program, but it’s a pressure that has been well-earned on the field.

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