Colin Cowherd believes Lane Kiffin is being held back at Ole Miss

Jeff Hauser

•
Colin Cowherd believes Lane Kiffin is being held back at Ole Miss image

Colin Cowherd believes Lane Kiffin has maximized nearly everything possible resource at Ole Miss and may now be running into the program’s long-term limitations.

Kiffin and the Rebels are positioned to make their first College Football Playoff appearance. But with success comes more and interest, especially with major openings across the college football landscape, including Florida and LSU. NFL franchises may also inquire to see if he'll come back to the league. 

On a recent podcast, Cowherd argued that Kiffin should remain open to leaving Oxford for a program with fewer structural hurdles.

“I had a really smart guy tell me this. A current college coach and he was talking about Ole Miss and the limitations,” Cowherd said. “Offensive recruits will follow the coach. They follow Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin, Kalen DeBoer. Offensive players want to know the system.”

Kiffin has consistently fielded explosive offenses, but Cowherd said the issue lies on the other side of the ball.

“Great defensive players, they want to go to Georgia, Texas, LSU,” he said. “It’s not about scheme. They want NIL money, they want to play in the trenches. That’s the limitation of Ole Miss.”

Cowherd added that while Kiffin can always reload offensively, matching the defensive firepower of college football’s largest brands is a different challenge.

“He’s never going to have Georgia’s defensive personnel. He’s never going to have Alabama’s or Ohio State’s,” Cowherd added.

Kiffin previously addressed the speculation with his players, saying the attention is “a product of having a program with a lot of players and coaches doing a really good job.” His son, Knox, said any decision about Kiffin’s future will come after the season as the Rebels chase a playoff berth.

For now, Ole Miss ends the season with Florida and Mississippi State. Either could be a trap game for the Rebels, but Kiffin hopes that doesn't happen with just two games left.

More college football news: 

Senior Editor