Florida has 'wild card' coach in mix not named Lane Kiffin, Eli Drinkwitz

Lane Kiffin is clearly the hottest head coaching name in college football, especially for the highly touted jobs at Florida and LSU.

The 50-year-old Ole Miss leader has made it clear that his focus is only on the Rebels, trying to make the College Football Playoff, with ironically the Gators standing in his team's way with a showdown at The Vaught.

“I’m not that far down the road,” Kiffin said earlier this week. "Everybody wants to talk about other jobs and everything and I think you are two or three weeks away from coaching for your own job."

Lane Kiffin, Landry Kiffin — Sept. 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin poses for a photo with his daughter Landry Kiffin prior to the game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Bruce Feldman, the preeminent college football analyst for The Athletic and Fox Sports, was on the new Barstool Sports version of "The Ryen Russillo Show", and he had some interesting thoughts on the Florida job.

Kiffin is still Florida's No. 1 choice

“You know, I could see them dancing around with Lane for a little bit," Feldman said. "And then thinking, oh, we got Eli [Drinkwitz] in the pocket. This is the one search that overlaps with LSU."

Kiffin and Drinkwitz are the two names that come up most often at both Florida and LSU. Kiffin is the coveted choice by the boosters and fanbases at The Swamp and Death Valley. Drinkwitz knows the SEC just as well, and at only 42, he has made Mizzou more than formidable, going 11-2 and 10-3 the last two seasons, including a Cotton Bowl victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It's exactly identical to Kiffin's record the previous two seasons, but Kiffin is the belle of the ball right now sitting pretty for a College Football Playoff birth.

The wild card name that Feldman likes for the Gators

"The other one that's a wild card in this for me is Jedd Fisch," Feldman said.

"I know he said he doesn't want to be talked about on these lists. That's his alma mater... It's a special place in his heart."

Feldman then goes into the story that Fisch only attended Florida to work for legendary Gators coach Steve Spurrier. He finally got his shot and worked his way up. It's not as enticing for fans compared to Kiffin especially, given the 49 year old turned around Arizona, and is now doing the same at Washington, so it's away from the SEC spotlight.

"I think Jedd Fisch would be a good hire for them," Feldman argued. "He did an amazing job in Arizona. He's off to a pretty good start at Washington. I know he loves his quarterback, but honestly, guys move. His quarterback followed him to Arizona."

That quarterback is sophomore Demond Williams Jr. The fastest route to turning around a program is a great coach and QB1.

So while Kiffin gets all the love, and Drinkwitz might turn out to be the best hire, Fisch could be the dark horse for the Gators that's the perfect fit.

Jedd Fisch, Demon Williams Jr. — Sept. 6, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch greets quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) participates during pregame warmups against the UC Davis Aggies at Husky Stadium. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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