Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is seemingly the most wanted man in college football. His name has been attached to every high-profile vacancy so far this season — which, befitting one of the wildest years in recent memory, is a list that seemingly gets longer by the day.
Penn State, Florida, LSU and potentially more will likely come calling once December rolls around. But will Kiffin want to leave Oxford just to pursue the money and a shiny new opportunity at a national title?
Kiffin's old boss when he was at Alabama, legendary head coach Nick Saban, spoke to On3 Sports and is actually pushing his former pupil to stay exactly where he is.
“Jobs that weren’t great jobs before are now. Lane is the first name up for Florida and the first name up for LSU, but I think you can have a long debate on whether either one of those jobs is actually better than the job he has now because he has some guys over there at Ole Miss that give him pretty much whatever he wants from a roster standpoint," he explained. "Maybe you’ve got alumni who are passionate about football, but are they willing to invest what you have to invest now to win? Because a lot of people don’t believe in this s--t.”
Nick Saban is right: Lane Kiffin shouldn't abandon Ole Miss for another job
Heading into Week 10, Ole Miss is sitting pretty at 7-1 with a No. 7 ranking and a prime shot at qualifying for its first College Football Playoff berth under Kiffin's leadership. Even if Kiffin were to run the table with the Rebels, win the SEC and bring home the national championship, he has an opportunity most other blue-blood programs are used to holding a monopoly over.
Recruiting leverage would be through the roof for his staff, NIL money and revenue would flow like never before and he could build a dynasty. Even if he comes up short, his best opportunity to build a championship-caliber program is still in Oxford.
LSU has no patience, as demonstrated by the sudden dismissal of Brian Kelly after posting a 34-14 record in four seasons. Not to mention the school also sent Ed Orgeron packing just two years removed from actually winning a national championship.
Florida doesn't have the infrastructure to sustain the vision Kiffin would likely have for the program. The Gators have hemorrhaged recruits over the last year and a half, leaving Kiffin a headache of a task as soon as he took the job that would prevent him from hitting the ground running.
And lets not kid ourselves: The Big Ten doesn't want Lane Kiffin and Lane Kiffin doesn't want the Big Ten. That would be an oil in water situation.
Kiffin is a smart guy. He can't be the dude who gives up on digging when he's likely just another couple of shovelfuls away from hitting paydirt. If it's not this year, his championship moment is coming soon.