Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter is determined to keep Lane Kiffin in Oxford. Kiffin has the Rebels sitting as the 7th best team in the nation on the strength of their 7-1 overall record and 4-1 in the SEC. Heading into week 10, the Rebels control their own destiny. In both the SEC as well as the college football playoff. Ole Miss welcomes the South Carolina Gamecocks this week and don’t have another ranked team remaining on their schedule.
Kiffin is currently on a six-year contract with Ole Miss and was recently extended in 2022. If extended again later in 2025, that deal would reach into the 2030s for contract term. Kiffin is currently bringing in a salary of $9 million, which makes him the 10th highest paid coach in college football. According to the Daily Journal, Carter is willing to “do what it takes financially to keep Kiffin in Oxford (Mississippi)”.
Carter said earlier this month he'd already been talking with Kiffin's agent, Jimmy Sexton, and would "be proactive with working out a deal with Lane and Jimmy."
Kiffin’s hiring in 2020 was not widely regarded as a quality hire for the program after less than successful stints at USC, Alabama and the Oakland Raiders. Ole Miss AD Carter saw parallels in Kiffin’s journey similar to his own. Carter was overlooked by Arkansas where he grew up and instead worked for a struggling Ole Miss basketball program. Carter felt a similar situation arising with Kiffin regarding something to build. Since hiring Carter, the Ole Miss basketball program has won SEC division titles and been a presence in tournament play.
Ole Miss might provide beneficial aspects that other destinations might not. Including top notch facilities, a recruiting base, in the SEC and a lifestyle, Kiffin's son Knox, is the current Oxford High School quarterback and the pace local to Oxford that might not be present at other SEC jobs like the recently vacated Florida and LSU. Kiffin’s personality and social media presence, something possibly not valued by every program, are not only tolerated, but they are embraced in Oxford.
Several big college football names have been relieved of their head coaching duties around the country this season. Some of those programs in need of a new head coach, might find Kiffin more appealing now than in 2020. Some like Florida and LSU might even seem comparatively desirable in a vacuum. Whether it’s the lifestyle of Oxford, the smaller town feel, or the fact that Kiffin feels like he’s building something at Ole Miss, an argument could be mad that Kiffin should stay right where he is.
South Carolina vs No. 7 Ole Miss will kick off on Saturday November 1 at 7:00pm eastern and broadcast on ESPN.
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