Gator commit adds a recruiting twist to the looming Lane Kiffin Bowl

As the season winds down for the Florida Gators, it is also clear that the recruiting class of 2026 for Florida is teetering. This isn't a massive shock, though the fact that no one has decomitted to this point is quite impressive, but one-by-one Florida is seeing commits pop up on visits around the country as National Signing Day looms closer and closer.

One particular commit from this summer is going to be in Ole Miss this weekend as the Gators take on the Rebels. Given the backdrop of everything else surrounding the two programs, the subplot is fascinating.

Carsyn Baker to visit Ole Miss

Four-star running back Carsyn Baker is slated to take a visit to Ole Miss this Saturday. This is one week after Baker was in Lexington and watched Florida's meltdown against Kentucky.

For the record, we like Baker and noted him for his speed when he first popped up on the radar for Florida:

"You can't give Baker an open lane. If he sees one glimpse of daylight, he's got the breakaway speed to house the football. The same goes if he gets the edge. But what impressed me most on film was how active his legs stay through contact. Baker keeps his legs churning while being tackled, either making him fall forward or powering through the defender to remain upright.

He's flashed some ability to make defenders miss, often horizontally or with the spin move, but his open field elusiveness remains a skill he can continue to develop. Baker has also shown his pass-catching chops."

But Baker showing up in Oxford presents a ton of narratives one could build:

1. Why would Lane Kiffin recruit a Florida commit to a visit at Ole Miss if Kiffin is planning to leave for Florida? Is this a sign he is staying in Oxford?
2. Does Kiffin know he is coming to Florida and is using the visit as a chance to establish connections with Florida's commits?

In the world of Lane Kiffin, who knows? He has had a solid month now to squash all the rumors of the Florida job, and yet every time he has had a chance to do that, he gives a duck-and-weave answer that says everything but "Yes, I'm going to be the head coach at Ole Miss in 2026."

We wouldn't put it past Kiffin to get Baker to flip, and at the same time, use the moment he is staying in Oxford just to rub salt in the wound of Gator Nation.

But if this weekend goes by and there still is no announcement, the rumors will grow only stronger that Florida is going to be the winner of the Lane Kiffin Bowl.