Lane Kiffin urged to leave Ole Miss for high-profile job

While most people think Lane Kiffin will land at an SEC school, one analyst thinks the Ole Miss coach will go in a completely different direction.

Lane Kiffin is now being urged to take an entirely different job from a prominent sportscaster. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The fate of Lane Kiffin remains the biggest story in college football once again this week, amid rampant speculation that the Ole Miss head coach will either stay at the program he helped build, or bolt for the vacancy at LSU or Florida next season.

But while most observers think Kiffin will stay in college football, one prominent voice believes that the coach will make an even more surprising move, by going to the NFL.

Colin Cowherd weighs in on Lane Kiffin's future

“Very rarely does a college football coach crush at a school, and the school says, ‘Make up your mind on what you’re doing.’ That’s what Ole Miss is doing with Lane Kiffin. I think Lane Kiffin should go to the pros,” Colin Cowherd said on his show on Tuesday.

Only two NFL franchises, the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, have already fired coach, but other potential teams could make a move soon, including the Miami Dolphins, but Kiffin is not considered to be seriously entertaining any position in the NFL right now.

Cowherd added: “I think he’s tapped out at Ole Miss. I don’t think he’s gonna win a natty there, but I think he’s gonna win a bunch of games if he stays there. And so LSU flies a plane in, flies his family to Baton Rouge to check it out.”

Tapped out may be a strange way to identify Kiffin’s situation at Ole Miss, a program he’s led to 10 wins in three-straight seasons for the first time ever, and is on the cusp of its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.

But other analysts believe that Kiffin may have reached his ceiling at a school that traditionally has not been a national championship contender.

The grass isn’t always greener

On the other hand, Cowherd suggested that Kiffin not necessarily think that somewhere else is better than where he is currently, and said that he could buckle under the pressure of a bigger job.

“I’ve always had a theory in life. Don’t try to get happier than happy. And I think Lane’s happy,” he said. 

“When did Lane Kiffin implode in life? Al Davis. NFL dysfunction. The Raiders were dysfunctional. And massive pressure at USC. 

“When did he crush? Florida Atlantic, no pressure. Ole Miss, not that much pressure. And the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban, where Nick’s taking the arrows. Be careful how close you fly to the sun. Don’t try to get happier than happy.”

LSU is crazy town

While a coach on the make may think LSU is a golden opportunity, Cowherd believes the atmosphere there is a little, well, crazy.

“I think the LSU job is crazy town,” he said. 

“The governor’s talking about it. Brian Kelly won 10 games, year one. Ten games, year two. And entered year three, hottest seat in college football. That’s all you need to know.”

Kiffin’s future is either staying at Ole Miss or taking a chance on an NFL vacancy, according to Cowherd’s thinking.

“To me, stay at Ole Miss or go to the NFL,” he said. “I think Lane’s personality feels like if he gets into one of these massively-pressurized, high-expectation situations, he can be a little snarky. He can be on social media a little too much.”

Crazy or not, LSU is clearly interested in Kiffin, so much so that it has been reported the school is considering making him the highest-paid coach in college football.

Kiffin has more trust at Ole Miss than he would at LSU

“I had a source I called yesterday on Ole Miss football. Apparently, they’ve got a lot of NIL money. They’ve got NIL money. It’s not a money issue at Ole Miss,” Cowherd said. 

“The other thing is, at Ole Miss, the entire fan base, the boosters, and the university, they trust the process, and they trust Lane. LSU doesn’t trust any coach since Saban. 

“They don’t trust any of ‘em. They didn’t trust Les Miles. They didn’t like Les Miles. Ed Orgeron. Brian Kelly. It’s a very cynical football operation, and it’s kind of delusional. 

“Georgia’s a better job. Bama’s a better job. I would say Texas is a better job. It’s a really, really good job, but sometimes the donors and the boosters and the administration and now the governor, it’s a little uncomfortable.”