Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss Rebels survived an upset bid from, ironically, the Florida Gators on Saturday night to keep their College Football Playoff dream alive. However, as Kiffin's future in Oxford with the program remains in question with widespread reports of interest from both Florida and the LSU Tigers, there has been an air of uncertainty around the head coach for some time now. And after the win over the Gators, Kiffin didn't do a single thing to quell concerns that he might leave Ole Miss.
"I love what we're doing here," Kiffin said, via ESPN. "Today was awesome. To even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players and how well they played today. We've got a lot of things going here. Doing really well, and I love it here."
Kiffin went on to say, while speaking to the media, that he didn't see his coaching future and the rumors and speculation concerning it as a distraction. Having said that, while he may have said he loves Ole Miss, what he didn't say might ultimately be more important.
Lane Kiffin loves Ole Miss, but didn't say he was staying in Oxford
Not that this is uncommon when the coaching carousel is turning, but it's well worth noting that, while Kiffin was highly complimentary of the Rebels program and his current situation, he also avoided saying that he would be staying at Ole Miss. Again, few coaches in his situation have or would say explicitly that when they are mulling options, but that's kind of the point.
In recent weeks, we've seen the likes of Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, among others, assert that they aren't leaving as their names have emerged in coaching rumors. Kiffin not doing so should be a flashing light to Ole Miss fans that the head coach isn't exactly set in stone to be returning to the program next season.
To be clear, this also doesn't guarantee that he's leaving either. What it does is create a hazy picture around what's next for the well-traveled and coveted head coach. He could stay, he could leave for Florida, he could leave for LSU, but absolutely no one is able to say with any kind of clarity which direction that Kiffin is currently leaning. He's the only one who could concretely offer something of that sort, and his comments only added to the uncertainty.
That's going to make for an even more stressful next couple of weeks with the Rebels. Not only do they have to win the always tightly contested Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi State in two weeks for the regular-season finale to keep their CFB Playoff dream alive, but they now have precisely no reasonable feel for whether or not a CFP run would be the start of bigger or better things with Kiffin to come, or if it's the head coach's last hoorah.
However, if Kiffin is wise, he should consider the merits of staying, despite the historically more glamorous profile at places like Florida and LSU.
Lane Kiffin's best choice is to stay with the Rebels
Make no mistake, Florida and LSU have historically been better college football programs. Moreover, one of Kiffin's idols in coaching, Steve Spurrier, is a legend for the Gators in Gainesville, which could make that move specifically highly attractive to him. And if that wasn't enough, one could reasonably argue that the resources and national-championship ceiling at both programs are greater than what they are at Ole Miss.
And yet, Kiffin's best move at this point, both as a coach and perhaps just as much so as a person, is to stay put with the Rebels rather than making a high-profile switch.
Just looking at the ceiling of the three programs, it's not unreasonable to say that Ole Miss is currently closer to a national championship than Florida or LSU. Granted, that could change quickly at either program, but that's far from a guarantee. In Oxford, the baseline they've currently established and Kiffin's operational abilities to get them and keep them at that level are proven — and there may still be room to grow as well.
Beyond just that, though, can we just consider the situations that we're talking about with these three schools? Florida has been dysfunctional for the better part of a decade and has featured a revolving door of coaches. LSU is a madhouse that has the state government somehow involved in the coaching search. Then there's Ole Miss, where Kiffin is revered and may have job security for life if he chooses to stay for what he's accomplished with the Rebels.
Again, I'm not entirely sure you can win a natty at Ole Miss. And if that's what Kiffin deeply desires, then maybe a move would make sense. However, for a coach who has been open about his personal trials with failure, but also with his contentment at his current job and how he's been able to finally find comfort, is a move to potentially greener pastures actually worth it?
In this instance, I just can't get there. That doesn't mean Lane Kiffin won't leave, but I feel confident in saying that he shouldn't.