The Ole Miss Rebels went on the road this week for a second consecutive week, hoping to rebound from their 43-25 loss to Georgia last week at Oklahoma.
The Rebels entered as slight 4.5-point favorites, and managed to leave with a 34-26 win against the 13th-ranked Sooners to move to 7-1 and 4-1 in the SEC.
In recent days, rumors have been flying regarding head coach Lane Kiffin. His name has been in connection with the Florida job, which just came open last week. His reputation as an offensive genius, paired with his success with recruiting and the transfer portal makes him a prime candidate.
Let's take a look at the latest Kiffin-to-Florida rumors and see how he's been addressing them.
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Lane Kiffin coaching rumors: Would Ole Miss coach consider Florida Gators job?
Kiffin is an obvious target for Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin, who has missed on his last couple of hires in Billy Napier and Dan Mullen. In five seasons, Kiffin has brought an Ole Miss program that was at the bottom of the SEC to three double-digit win seasons in 2021, 2023 and 2024. He's gone 50-19 in Oxford, and is already the school's third-winningest head coach in just six seasons.
The Ole Miss head coach also said in 2020 that the reason he wears a visor on the sidelines is because of Spurrier, growing up a Florida fan with the Gators' style of play and offense. Not to mention his ex-wife Layla's father is John Reaves, who played football for the Gators in the late 1960s and early 70s. Reaves also coached as an assistant for Steve Spurrier in the early 1990s, and Layla herself went to the University of Florida while her dad coached there.
The obvious family and childhood ties, paired with Florida not being able to win at a high level since Urban Meyer left in 2011 mean Kiffin is likely to at least take Stricklin's call. Earlier this season, ESPN's Ryan McGee reported Florida's boosters last season were convinced Kiffin would come to Gainesville if they called. But Napier beat both Kiffin and LSU late in the season to finish 8-4 and save his job.
There are plenty of reasons why Kiffin to Florida may stay put. He's talked publicly about how much he loves Oxford, and his entire family is now based there. But the rumors likely won't slow down in the coming weeks. In fact, Kiffin told ESPN's Molly McGrath that he plans to address the rumors with his team:
“Lane Kiffin told me he usually doesn’t address those kind of coaching rumors in-season, because there’s so much more football to play, and there’s so many bigger things to focus on," McGrath said Friday on SportsCenter, as transcribed by On3 Sports. "But he’s actually going to do things differently today in their team meeting – he is going to address those (Florida) rumors with his players.
He’s going to talk to them about it and say: ‘Hey, this is what happens when you win. This is a compliment to our players, our staff and our entire program.’ He wants to talk to his players about it because there’s so many new guys on their team this year that haven’t dealt with it before.”
Before Saturday's game against Oklahoma kicked off, Sooner fans greeted Kiffin with some Gator chomps:
OU student section doing the Gator chomp at Lane 😭pic.twitter.com/QmYP3LY3Ly
— Saturday Down South (@SatDownSouth) October 25, 2025
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Lane Kiffin Ole Miss contract
Kiffin's current contract with Ole Miss runs through Dec. 31, 2030. According to USA Today's list of coaching salaries, Kiffin makes $9 million annually. He is eligible for a max of $2.6 million in bonuses during the 2025 season.
Per the database, Kiffin's buyout is $36.6 million.
The way that Kiffin's contract is structured gives him an automatic one-year extension if his team reaches seven wins, which he reached with Saturday's win.
Florida was paying Napier $7.4 million annually, and paid him $21 million in buyout money. If Kiffin is indeed interested in the Gators' job, expect the big-money boosters to have the funds to pay him close, if not more than his Ole Miss salary.
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Lane Kiffin career coaching timeline
Kiffin started his coaching career at Fresno State as a graduate assistant, where he played quarterback for the Bulldogs. He also spent time as an assistant with the Colorado State and the Jacksonville Jaguars before Pete Carroll hired him to join USC's staff in 2001.
USC: 2001-2006
With the Trojans, he quickly rose up the ranks, getting promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004. He coached the likes of Heisman winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, and was considered one of the bright offensive coaching minds in college football.
Oakland Raiders: 2007-2008
Raiders owner Al Davis initially wanted to hire Kiffin's fellow staffer at USC in Steve Sarkisian, but Sark reportedly turned him down. So he hired Kiffin instead. It ended tumultuously, as Kiffin and Davis butted heads throughout.
One of the biggest conflicts was Davis drafting quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the first round, when Kiffin wanted to draft Calvin Johnson. Russell turned out to be one of the biggest busts in NFL history, and Kiffin was fired after a 4-12 finish in 2007 and a 1-2 start in 2008.
Tennessee: 2009
Kiffin returned to college football in 2009, and took over for legendary head coach Phillip Fulmer in Knoxville. The Vols finished 7-6 that season, including wins over SEC East rivals Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Months later, Kiffin accepted the USC job, replacing his former boss, Pete Carroll.
The news sparked chaos on Tennessee’s campus, with hundreds of students chanting “F–k you Kiffin” and a mattress reportedly set on fire.
USC: 2010-2013
Although it was his dream job, things got off to a rocky start before his tenure really even began. In the wake of the Reggie Bush improper benefits scandal investigated by the NCAA, USC was hit with a two-year bowl ban and a reductions of 30 scholarships.
Kiffin described the sanctions as “as close to the death penalty” as you can get. Despite the penalties, USC went 8-5 in 2010 and improved to 10-2 in 2011. The Trojans struggled in 2012, finishing 7-6. In 2013, following a 43-22 road loss to Arizona State, Trojans AD Pat Hayden fired Kiffin. USC was 3-2 at the time, and the firing famously took place on the tarmac at LAX around 3 a.m. Local time.
Alabama: 2014-2016
Alabama head coach Nick Saban took a chance on Kiffin. At the time, he was looking to change his philosophy from a ground-and-pound run-heavy offense to the up-tempo read-option schemes that were trending in college football.
The move turned out to be one of the best coaching decisions of Saban's career. Under Kiffin, Alabama won a national title in 2015, while helping Derrick Henry win the Heisman Trophy that season. He coached the likes of Tide quarterbacks Blake Sims, Jake Coker and Jalen Hurts. He was hired by Florida Atlantic in early 2016.
Kiffin was only with the Owls for three seasons, but he helped the program achieve massive success. He went 11-3 during his 2017 and 2019 seasons, capped off by Boca Raton Bowl victories. His 2018 season finished 5-7. The two 11-win seasons were the first all-time in school history.
2020-Present: Ole Miss
After a 5-5 finish during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he’s guided the team to three double-digit win seasons in 2021, 2023, and 2024. He’s also won back-to-back bowl games the past two seasons, in the Peach and Gator Bowls.
Other candidates for Florida job if Kiffin isn't interested
As we mentioned, this is a huge hire for Stricklin to make, and he has to get this one right. Believe it or not, there are guys outside of Kiffin to choose from.
Although it's unlikely he'll leave Oregon, you have to make a call to Dan Lanning to gauge his interest. He's 41-7 over four seasons with the Ducks, and is an ace recruiter. Another guy who may not leave his current gig but is worth reaching out to is Vanderbilt's Clark Lea. The Commodores alumnus has Vandy ranked inside the Top-10 for the first time since 1947, and 6-1 on the season.
And what about James Franklin? Yes, his record against ranked opponents is the big knock against him. But Florida fans would be pretty happy with multiple 10- and 11-win seasons. That alone should get you into the 12-team CFP pretty consistently, even in the SEC.
Jedd Fisch is another name that's been rumored to be in the mix for the Florida job. He played quarterback for the Gators, and was even an assistant under Steve Spurrier in the late 1990s. He is 59-28 as a head coach.
Last but certainly not least, Tulane's Jon Sumrall is one of the up-and-coming stars in the coaching carousel. He's 38-10 as a head coach at Troy and Tulane, and being from Texas means he's got some recruiting experience in the South.
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