In the Midst of a CFB Playoff Push & Coaching Rumors, Lane Kiffin Holds All the Power
Hours before Lane Kiffin delivered one of the biggest wins of his life, beating Oklahoma on a soggy field in front of thousands rooting for him to fail, rumors surrounding another massive college football program opening began to rumble.
Whether Steve Sarkisian truly wants to leave Texas, as The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported early Saturday morning, will be determined in the weeks and months ahead. For what it's worth, Sarkisian's agents have already denied this claim.
Regardless, potential rumblings in Austin join an environment that is already wildly unstable. With Florida, Penn State and others already searching for the right person to save their football programs—and with others soon to follow—Kiffin is about to face one of the most important moments of his professional life.
Bigger than that, one could argue that no figure across college football right now carries more power. As the openings across college football solidify, Kiffin's future is very much in question.
To that end, how many coaches would Florida or Texas rather have than Kiffin, who has proven himself capable of coaching elite offenses in the SEC? In the new era of the sport, with NIL and the transfer portal looming large, Kiffin has shown the ability to thrive in the chaos.
That is one part of the story. The other is a reality that can get easily lost in the noise.
Ole Miss is 7-1 and, for the second consecutive year, very much in the playoff discussion.
A steady rain didn't slow the Rebels' offense down. In fact, despite going up against the nation's No. 2 scoring defense, Kiffin's offense finished with 34 points and 431 yards of offense on the road. Prior to this week, the most points Oklahoma had allowed at home was 17.
In that game, the full Kiffin experience was on display. He went for it on fourth down on multiple occasions, including a botched attempt on his team's own 25-yard-line that seemed perplexing at the moment.
After the game, as the postgame interview was taking shape, the camera caught Kiffin engaged in trash talk—albeit with friendly undertones—with an Oklahoma defender.
If nothing else, Kiffin is undeniably himself. He talks big, he makes bold decisions, he says things no coaches will ever see in front of a microphone. Oh, and he wins.
With this victory in pocket, it's hard not to contemplate the future for the Rebels. The remaining regular season schedule features games against South Carolina, The Citadel, Florida and Mississippi State. The only remaining road game will come against the team's rival.
The prospects of leading a team into the College Football Playoff while also navigating the Silly Season, college football's yearly coaching cycle, is unique. It's also not necessarily new for Kiffin, who has flirted with plenty of opportunities over the past few years.
For a while, it looked like he would leave for Auburn when the job came open. Ultimately, he decided Ole Miss was a better fit. Now, with Florida open, the conversations have started again.
Kiffin, of course, is well aware of the conversation. And when asked about it earlier this week, he didn't shy away. He also didn't exactly offer much in terms of a denial.
"That's a product of having a program with a lot of players and coaches doing a really good job," Kiffin said on the rumors. "I wouldn't even mention it because they've been through it every year for probably four years in a row, but we have so many players, I just told them, 'Hey, guys, this is what happens around here because we win games and people like the style that we play in."
No matter what the future holds for Kiffin, no figure across college football holds more power across the sport than him in the present. He will be courted by major universities, and they will throw millions upon millions of reasons for him to leave his current Oxford post.
And he will listen. Of course he'll listen. Kiffin has done nothing to subdue the talk, and why would he? As Ole Miss works to sign him to an extension, Kiffin will take his time in deciding on what to do next. As he should.
Along the way, he will attempt to lead Ole Miss to the College Football Playoff and beyond. How these two things will align together will be determined in the weeks ahead, although the situation will only grow more complicated.
The man who was once fired on a California tarmac in the middle of the night, reaching rock bottom of the profession, suddenly is in a position unlike any in recent memory.
He holds all the cards, and one thing is certain. Whatever happens next won't be boring.
It's Lane Kiffin's world. We're just living in it.
