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Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin appears to send clear message on Florida rumors

A fired up Lane Kiffin may have just revealed his future at Ole Miss amid Florida rumors. Find out the latest news on the Gators' chances to pry Kiffin away from Ole Miss.
Jonathan Adams|
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks with Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks with Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin before the start of the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, November 23, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] | Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Ole Miss RebelsFlorida Gators

Rumors are heating up on Florida's chances to poach Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin away from Oxford. Kiffin continues to be floated as the potential favorite to replace Billy Napier at Florida.

The challenge for the Gators is that Kiffin may not want to leave Ole Miss. After Ole Miss' win over Oklahoma, Lane Kiffin looks to have sent a message to Rebels fans about his future. Kiffin appeared to tell the crowd he's "staying" while using some more colorful language to emphasize his point.

Here's a look at the video that has some Florida fans concerned.

Ole Miss' win over Oklahoma added an additional year to Lane Kiffin's contract

To complicate matters for Florida, Ole Miss' win over Oklahoma added an extra year to Kiffin's deal, putting the coach under contract through 2031, per USA Today's Steve Berkwitz. The win also keeps Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff picture.

Florida would likely prefer to have a coach in place before the transfer portal opens in Jan. If Ole Miss makes the postseason, Kiffin may not be available to be hired before the portal opens.

Lane Kiffin addressed Florida rumors with Ole Miss players: Report

ESPN's Molly McGrath reported that Kiffin planned to address the Florida rumors with the team prior to Ole Miss' matchup against Oklahoma. Kiffin admitted this is not something he normally does with the coaching carousel rumors during the season.

“Lane Kiffin told me he usually doesn’t address those kind of coaching rumors in-season, because there’s so much more football to play, and there’s so many bigger things to focus on," McGrath noted on Friday's "SportsCenter," via On3. "But he’s actually going to do things differently today in their team meeting – he is going to address those (Florida) rumors with his players.

"He’s going to talk to them about it and say: ‘Hey, this is what happens when you win. This is a compliment to our players, our staff and our entire program.’ He wants to talk to his players about it because there’s so many new guys on their team this year that haven’t dealt with it before.”

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Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

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