As the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes dominates the final week of the regular season, one of college football’s most respected voices has weighed in.
Former Florida and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier says the chaos surrounding Kiffin’s future is overshadowing what could be a historic finish for No. 6 Ole Miss. He also believes the Rebels’ coach is handling it the right way.
During an appearance on Another Dooley Noted podcast, Spurrier said he admires Kiffin’s insistence on staying with Ole Miss through the end of the season, even as Florida and LSU push aggressively to hire him.
“Everybody is waiting to see what Lane Kiffin is going to do on Saturday after the Egg Bowl,” Spurrier said. “It is a touchy situation… Lane Kiffin coming out and saying, ‘Hey, I am going to coach this team until the season is over. If nobody wants to wait for me, I don’t care.’”
Ole Miss is sitting at 10-1 and deserves the chance to finish off what could be the program’s best season. “They’ve got possibly the best team in school history,” he added. “Give him and that team a chance to finish out."
Kiffin remains focused on Friday’s Egg Bowl, where a win could lock the Rebels into an 11-1 regular season and give them really great odds of being in the College Football Playoff. However, the uncertainty around his future could factor into the selection committee’s deliberations. It's one of the stories not being considered right now.
Where Kiffin will be at when the dust settles is unknown at this point. Two things are clear from all the back-and-forth chatter. Kiffin should be wary about the situation at LSU. They're fighting with the former coach over paying him a buyout. If that's not a sign of why he shouldn't be in Baton Rouge, then what is?
Also, Kiffin has it made in Oxford with the backing of administrators he knows and has worked with. That speaks volumes.
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