Will he stay or will he go? At this point, nobody seems to truly know what Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin’s next move will be.
News outlets, message boards, and social media have talked ad nauseam about Kiffin’s next move, as Florida and LSU have expressed interest in the Rebel frontman restoring their respective programs to glory. But one important person involved in this process, Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter, has been mute publicly on this situation — until now.
Leading up to the week, reports circulated that Carter had issued an ultimatum of sorts to Kiffin, saying the coach had a deadline to either sign a lucrative Ole Miss extension sitting on his desk or to jump ship to one of his two other suitors. Kiffin later denied those reports in an interview with ESPN’s Pat McAfee.
Carter, along with Chancellor Glenn Boyce, held a meeting with Kiffin on Friday, one that gave folks in Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida circles hope that a clearer picture would be painted on Kiffin’s next move. Though inferences can be made on a subliminal message the Rebel athletics director was looking to signal, the only thing that was specifically revealed is that Kiffin will coach in the upcoming Egg Bowl.
“An announcement on Coach Kiffin’s future is expected the Saturday following the game,” Carter, a former Ole Miss basketball player who has had the full support of the Rebel fanbase since taking over as AD in 2019, wrote.
The Rebels (10-1, 6-1 SEC) are currently ranked No. 6 in the nation, sit in the driver’s seat to make the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, and will, at worst, host a postseason game with an Egg Bowl win. The Rebels have been, for the bulk of the season, led by a former Division II quarterback in Trinidad Chambliss and a record-breaking running back in Kewan Lacy. However, the buzz around the team has not been about the results on the field, but about the head coach.
The rumblings ramped up after Saturday’s 34-24 win over Florida when Kiffin took a shot at the Ole Miss fans, referencing the crowd during the Citadel game the week prior, and when the coach’s family was transported by private jets to Gainesville and Baton Rouge, where Florida and LSU are located, respectively.
In the meantime, the Ole Miss camp was mum. But when the silence was broken on Friday, the eagerness for this situation to resolve itself one way or another only exacerbated more angst. Carter, who has attended hot yoga classes with Kiffin in recent days, acknowledged that he and the football coach have spoken at length about the future.
Carter’s conclusion from the most recent meeting is that Kiffin is best-suited to coach the Rebels against archrival, Mississippi State, in one of the nation’s most bitter rivalries.
“Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting today with Chancellor Boyce. While 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,” Carter continued.
“Despite the outside noise, Coach Kiffin is focused on preparing our team for the Egg Bowl, and together, we want to ensure that our players and coaches can concentrate fully on Friday’s game. This team is on the cusp of an unprecedented season, and it’s imperative they feel the support of the Ole Miss family in the week ahead.”
While some may argue that Carter’s remarks about “outside noise” were improperly addressed, given Kiffin could put this drama to rest at any given moment, the athletics director is absolutely right that this Ole Miss team is on the verge of making program history. However, sources have told SuperTalk Mississippi News that multiple players have become disgruntled over the constant rumors about Kiffin and the dark cloud of his potential departure looming.
Ole Miss will play Mississippi State in the Battle for the Golden Egg on Black Friday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. with the game airing on ABC and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations. The next day, a Lebron James-lite sort of announcement is expected to be made regarding Kiffin’s coaching future. A source close to the situation believes, at this moment, LSU is the favorite to win the Kiffin sweepstakes.