Popular college football analyst refuses to apologize after viral Lane Kiffin tweet

Josh Pate knew exactly what he was doing this weekend.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Josh Pate knew exactly what he was doing this weekend. The popular college football analyst and host of "Josh Pate's College Football Show" set off another round of speculation in the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes over the weekend with a seven-word post on X: "I know where Lane will be in 2026. All I can say is WOW."

I know where Lane will be in 2026

All I can say is WOW

— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) November 23, 2025

With Ole Miss' head coach openly linked to Florida and LSU while his current school fights to keep him, every hint has been treated like a clue in a coaching search crime drama. Reports in recent days have detailed Ole Miss' aggressive push to retain Kiffin, including what has been described as "blank check" willingness from the Rebels, while Florida and LSU continue to circle.

Pate has been in the middle of that narrative for weeks. He has repeatedly said that, if forced to bet, he currently expects Kiffin to be coaching somewhere other than Oxford in 2026. His latest viral post only poured gasoline on that fire.

Almost immediately, fans and rival message boards accused Pate of engagement farming — throwing out a vague, dramatic tease that drives clicks without adding real information. If fans were waiting for Pate to walk it back, they didn't get much satisfaction from his latest show.

On his Week 13 reaction episode, Pate revisited the Kiffin saga while breaking down the latest playoff and coaching carousel storylines. He characterized the tweet as sarcasm and made it clear he was having fun with how obsessed the sport has become with every rumor and flight-tracking breadcrumb. The longtime analyst, now one of the most listened-to college football voices in the country, has built his show on stuff like this.

At the same time, Pate continued to dive seriously into the Kiffin chase, warning viewers not to rule out Florida just because the noise has lately centered on LSU.

Lane Kiffin is basically the No. 1 free agent in college football

Kiffin has the Rebels at 10-1 and is guiding them through their best sustained stretch in program history. That success has made him the central figure in this year's coaching carousel, with LSU and Florida both having fired their head coaches and zeroing in on Kiffin as their top target while Ole Miss fights to keep him.

LSU, Florida and Ole Miss are all preparing offers in the neighborhood of $13 million per year, with LSU's package heavily incentive-driven and potentially worth more than $90 million over seven years.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter has publicly said the school will "do whatever it takes" to keep Kiffin and announced that a formal decision on his future is expected the Saturday after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, effectively setting a soft deadline for Kiffin's choice.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images