Nick Saban Questions If LSU, Florida Are Better Jobs for Lane Kiffin Than Ole Miss
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban says he's not convinced LSU or Florida would be a step up for Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.
That's because Saban feels how much programs spend on roster-building now matters more than prestige, he said in a recent interview with On3's Chris Low.
The topic came up when Low asked Saban if the firing of Brian Kelly from LSU meant the best coaching job in the United States was now open.
"That's changed dramatically, the whole question of what constitutes the best job," Saban told Low. "What used to make a job great was facilities, fan support, good academic support, recruiting base and being able to create value for the players. Now that has been minimized to how much money do you have to spend on building a roster. That is the most important thing by far."
Saban continued, per Low: "Jobs that weren't great jobs before are now. Lane is the first name up for Florida and the first name up for LSU, but I think you can have a long debate on whether either one of those jobs is actually better than the job he has now because he has some guys over there at Ole Miss that give him pretty much whatever he wants from a roster standpoint. He may not necessarily have the same thing at Florida or LSU. So you look at these jobs differently now.
"Yeah, maybe you've got facilities. Maybe you've got money. Maybe you've got alumni who are passionate about football, but are they willing to invest what you have to invest now to win? Because a lot of people don't believe in this s--t."
Walker Jones, executive director of Ole Miss NIL program The Grove Collective, told The Athletic's David Ubben last October that the Rebels had invested more than $10 million into assembling their 2024 roster. Jones estimated that total ranked in the top half of the SEC, per Ubben.
Given that the Rebels assembled 247Sports' top-ranked 2025 transfer class in the nation, headlined by offensive lineman Patrick Kutas, it seems likely that total has increased in 2025.
Ole Miss has reportedly spent more than $2 million on quarterbacks alone. On3's Pete Nakos reported in August that Austin Simmons was making $1.5 million this season.
Simmons has since taken a backseat to Trinidad Chambliss, who was expected to transfer for $300,000 from Temple before Ole Miss snagged him with an offer worth at least $600,000, per CBS Sports' Chris Hummer and Richard Johnson.
Ole Miss boasts a 7-1 record, a No. 7 AP poll ranking and a shot at a debut College Football Playoff appearance. If Kiffin feels like the Rebels are set up to continue building competitive rosters going forward, Ole Miss could have a better chance of keeping him in Oxford for 2026.
