For the next several days, all of the college football world will be on Lane Kiffin watch. Trying to figure out what the Ole Miss head coach wants to do is anyone's guess. With his Ole Miss Rebels effectively one win away from the College Football Playoff, he should stay in Oxford with a new deal in hand, right? Not so fast... Everything he has done suggests he is leaving, either for LSU, or possibly Florida.
On Monday's installment of Get Up, ESPN's Paul Finebaum discussed with Mike Greenberg what Kiffin may end up doing. Finebaum reacted to Kiffin's introductory press conference ahead of the Egg Bowl with great intrigue. "It's what he didn't say," said Finebaum to Greenberg. "He didn't say, 'I definitely will be here and coach my team in the College Football Playoff.' That is not difficult." But where will he go?
Finebaum followed this up by saying that "Florida seems like a slightly better fit" for Kiffin than at LSU.
"He seems intent on leaving, and the reason is very simple: I don't believe Lane Kiffin thinks he can win a national championship at Ole Miss. I don't know why he doesn't think that, considering where they are in the polls right now ... Clearly, as he looks around, Florida seems like a slightly better fit, but LSU is the hot school."
Here is everything Finebaum had to say to Greenberg on Get Up over the prospects of Kiffin leaving.
.@finebaum weighs in on Lane Kiffin and his future at Ole Miss 👀 pic.twitter.com/Er5ZVR1pd6
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 25, 2025
Finebaum saying Florida is the better fit over LSU with the Tigers being "the hot school" is something.
Paul Finebaum believes that Florida is the slightly better fit for Lane Kiffin
Without much debate, Kiffin is the top target for Florida and LSU at this stage of the game. Florida has looked at other candidates in recent weeks, such as South Florida head coach Alex Golesh and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall out of the Group of Five. As for LSU, the Tigers have honed in on Kiffin exclusively in the wake of letting Brian Kelly go after the disaster that was their Texas A&M beatdown.
As far as Florida being the better fit for Kiffin over LSU, that remains to be seen. LSU is the only Power Four school in state, while Florida is also home to Florida State, Miami and UCF. In a way, there is probably less pressure on Kiffin taking over at a place like Florida than at LSU. The guy did win at a prolifically high level at Florida Atlantic previously. Is Kiffin cut from the same cloth as Steve Spurrier?
All three SEC schools are going to pay Kiffin top-of-the-market money. Nobody is going to realistically get outbid here. It may come down to a matter of preference. Optically, Kiffin going from Ole Miss to Florida lands far better than going from Ole Miss to Magnolia Bowl rival LSU. You can win national championships at Florida and LSU, whereas it remains to be seen if you could at Ole Miss...
This is why Kiffin may potentially leave Ole Miss in the dust to take over at Florida by this weekend.
