As the daily discussion over Lane Kiffin and Florida's coaching search rages on, the singular core question that keeps getting brought up is whether or not Kiffin would actually want to leave Ole Miss. On paper, Kiffin seems happy in Oxford, and he could ride out the rest of his coaching days at Ole Miss.
But there is also the nagging reality that the opportunities to win big are better elsewhere, and Pete Thamel of ESPN finds it hard to believe that Kiffin stays where he is at.
ESPN insider doesn't think Kiffin will stay at Ole Miss
Appearing on College Football Live, Thamel was asked about Kiffin and the prospects of Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for a different job:
"Right now it's hard to imagine Lane Kiffin coaching at Ole Miss next year. The opportunity that looms at either LSU or Florida is too big."
Ole Miss fans are going to scoff at this, but the point Thamel is making is that Kiffin can either go down as one of the "nice" coaches of this era, or he can go down as a "king" of this era.
While Kiffin has enjoyed success at Ole Miss and could down as the greatest Ole Miss coach of all time, the reality is that Kiffin has elevated Ole Miss, not the other way around.
The Rebels still struggle to crack the top 20 in terms of talent composite and in recruiting, in part because of the built-in disadvantages Ole Miss has compared to a place like Florida or LSU. We've mentioned it before, but Gainesville has three major metropolitan areas within a two-hour drive to pull from. Ole Miss just doesn't have that, and what little talent is local has plenty of suitors to compete against.
Kiffin is winning this year with a D2 QB he plucked out of the portal. Trinidad Chambliss has been great for Ole Miss, but don't let anyone fool you into thinking he was Plan A for the Rebels this season.
Combined with the fact that Kiffin is almost having to beg fans to show up for a nighttime game against an SEC opponent, whereas Florida and LSU sell out against FCS opponents, there is a reason why Kiffin hasn't auto-extended with Ole Miss.
Maybe he stays, maybe he doesn't, but the longer Kiffin lets the smoke continue to grow, the deeper the belief that Kiffin might have a new home in 2026.