Lane Kiffin Plans to Talk to Ole Miss Players About Florida Rumors After Napier Firing

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is reportedly taking rumors he will be hired by Florida seriously enough to speak with his players about it.

ESPN's Molly McGrath reported on SportsCenter that Kiffin plans to speak to his players Friday about reports he could potentially take over for former Gators head coach Billy Napier.

"He told me usually doesn't address those kind of coaching rumors in-season... but he's actually going to do things differently today in their team meeting. He is going to address those rumors with his players," McGrath said. "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 because there's so many new guys on their team this year that haven't dealt with it before. So that's why he's going to talk to them."

Napier was fired last Sunday following Florida's 3-4 start to the 2025 season. Kiffin has meanwhile kept his program in the College Football Playoff discussion by leading them to a 6-1 record and No. 8 AP poll ranking.

Ole Miss could climb even higher up those rankings if Kiffin is able to lead his team to a road win against No. 13 Oklahoma on Saturday.

McGrath said Kiffin told her he was "never going to make decisions based on money" and wanted to instead prioritize "everyday happiness."

She added, however, that Kiffin "idolizes" former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier, and that Kiffin told her last November that Florida was "a really special place" for him.

This isn't the first time Kiffin's name has popped up in head coaching rumors this season. He was also floated as a possibility to take over for James Franklin following the former Penn State head coach's dismissal.

Rebels athletics director Keith Carter told Ole Miss Spirit's Chuck Rounsaville shortly after Franklin's dismissal that he had been speaking with Kiffin's agent, Jimmy Sexton, and that he was "going to be proactive with working out a deal" for the head coach.

On3's Ben Garrett meanwhile reported that Sexton is seeking to make Kiffin the highest-paid coach in college football.

Kiffin currently makes an estimated $9 million per year, good for 10th among college football coaches, per USA Today. Georgia's Kirby Smart currently leads the rankings with an estimated salary of more than $13.2 million per year.

Ole Miss most recently extended Kiffin in December 2022. The initial deal was for six years, with an automatic additional year added in each season Ole Miss wins at least seven regular-season games, per Sam Hutchens of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.

That contract has now extended to stretch through 2030, per Hutchens. But the rumored demand surrounding Kiffin's candidacy could mean Ole Miss will need to rework that deal in order to keep him in Mississippi for the length of the contract.

Kiffin took over at Ole Miss in 2020 and has since led his program to a 50-19 record with bowl game appearances in each of his first five seasons.

Should he add a 51st win this weekend in Norman, he could take the Rebels one step closer to their first College Football Playoff berth.