Lane Kiffin Reportedly Would Leave Ole Miss for Miami If Head Coach Job Opened Up

Lane Kiffin may already have his sights set on leaving Ole Miss after two seasons.

Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 South Florida reported Kiffin would leave Oxford if the University of Miami job became available. Manny Diaz is on the hot seat amid his third straight disappointing season with the Hurricanes.

Kiffin is no stranger to departing an SEC program and alienating a fanbase. He remains reviled at Tennessee after leaving the Vols for USC after the 2009 season. In fact, the 46-year-old has never been at a job longer than four seasons.

Kiffin was fired by the Oakland Raiders after less than two seasons, left Tennessee after one, was fired by USC five games into his fourth season and departed Florida Atlantic for Ole Miss after three seasons. 

Ole Miss appeared to be a long-term home for Kiffin, a power SEC school that was willing to pay him like a program cornerstone and allow him to compete at the highest level. The Rebels are 13-7 under Kiffin, including an 8-2 mark this season. They currently have the No. 3 offense in the country, and Kiffin is still program-building with recruitment. 

That said, it's hard not to see the allure of Miami. The Hurricanes program is a goldmine if run well, which it hasn't been in a long period of time. They have not finished inside the Top 10 since 2003, shuffling through five coaches over that time period. 

Miami also offers an easier path toward consistent national title contention. Ole Miss will likely never be better than the fourth- or fifth-best SEC program, and that's without including Oklahoma or Texas, which are coming to the conference in 2025. Clemson is a consistent national power, but Miami could ascend quickly to the No. 2 perch if Kiffin reinvigorated the program.