-
mark schlabach
ole miss football fans and Florida And LSU Fans will have to wait eight more days to find out where Lane Kiffin will coach this postseason.
Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter said Friday that an announcement about Kiffin’s future will come the day after the No. 6 Rebels play the opponent mississippi state Nov. 28 at the Egg Bowl in Starkville.
Kiffin, who is in his sixth season at Ole Miss, is reportedly considering job offers at SEC rivals Florida and LSU.
Sources told ESPN that the Rebels had offered Kiffin a lengthy extension with a salary comparable to that being offered by the Tigers and Gators.
Kiffin met with Carter and Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce on Friday.
“Coach Kiffin and I have had many candid and positive conversations about his future at Ole Miss, including today’s meeting with Chancellor Boyce,” Carter said. “As we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important – our sixth-ranked team that is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion.”
Kiffin, 50, has led the Rebels to at least 10 wins in four of the last five seasons. His record at Ole Miss is 54–19.
On Sunday, Kiffin’s ex-wife, Laila; his son, Knox; And Kiffin’s brother’s son, Chris, visited Gainesville, Florida. Laila and other family members visited the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana the next day.
With a 10-1 record this season, the Rebels are in position to make their first CFP appearance and will likely host a first-round game at Vought-Hemingway Stadium on December 19 or 20.
“Despite the outside noise, Coach Kiffin is focused on preparing our team for the Egg Bowl, and together, we want to make sure our players and coaches can fully focus on next Friday’s game,” Carter said. “This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it is important that they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the weeks ahead.”
Carter, the former Ole Miss basketball player who has been in charge of the athletics department since 2019, pressed Kiffin for clarity about his future and wanted a decision by the end of the week, sources close to the matter told ESPN earlier this week.
Ole Miss administrators did not want the uncertainty surrounding Kiffin’s future to become too much of a distraction before the Rebels played their biggest rivalry game. They also wanted time to prepare for a possible change to an interim coach before the CFP and search for Kiffin’s replacement if he decides to leave.
The Rebels want to avoid a situation like the ugly departure of former Ole Miss coach Tommy Tuberville golden brown color in 1998. While speculation grew regarding Tuberville’s future, the Rebels lost their last three games, including a 28–6 defeat against Mississippi State at home.
After the regular season ended, Tuberville said on his weekly radio show, “They’re going to have to carry me out of here in a pine box.”
Tuberville left for Auburn two days later.
