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As LSU, Penn State and other powerhouse college football programs search for their next head coaches, Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin keeps coming up in speculation.
Ex-NFL punter and current ESPN personality Pat McAfee is among those who don’t want Kiffin to even think about leaving Oxford, Mississippi.
McAfee, the West Virginia University alum, was saying his piece on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday when the topic of Kiffin came up.
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“I would like to say if Lane Kiffin is listening … you’re allowed to be happy and content, brother,” McAfee said. “You’re allowed to be at a place and have massive success. You’re allowed to build a place from scratch. You’re allowed to become a GOAT at a place. I think there’s a feeling amongst a lot of coaches, like, ‘Hey, you got to get to this job, you got to get to this job.’”
The speculation increased about Kiffin to LSU after it was reported that university executives and athletic administrators had finalized terms of a massive contract proposal for Kiffin, who has a career 115-53 record coaching in college football between Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss. LSU parted ways with Brian Kelly after three straight losses to ranked opponents earlier this season.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and university Chancellor Glenn Boyce spoke Friday afternoon with Kiffin to discuss his future. Carter issued a statement after the meeting, saying Kiffin’s future would be decided next Saturday after the annual Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. It marks the final regular-season game for the No. 6 Rebels.
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Just how much is LSU willing to give Kiffin, who owns a 54-19 record with the Rebels since taking over in 2020? While contract talks remain fluid, Yahoo Sports reported executives have discussed a seven-year pact filled with incentives and worth at least $90 million.
That would make Kiffin the highest-paid college football coach in the country.
It’s also worth noting that LSU intends to promise “significant NIL and revenue share roster investments exceeding $25 million,” which would give Kiffin, one of the best recruiters in the country, vast resources to land top talent across the 50 states. NIL resources are crucial for coaches to recruit the players necessary to produce winning seasons in today’s college game.
At the same time, Florida, which fired Billy Napier earlier this season, is hoping to lure Kiffin to Gainesville to reignite a program desperate to return to the top of the college football rankings.
Both programs — and perhaps others — are well aware that Kiffin has a good thing going with the Rebels, who are poised for a spot in the College Football Playoff this season. They will continue their due diligence with other coaching targets, but Kiffin will remain a top candidate until his decision is made.
It’s a tough situation for the current Rebels players, who are all fighting to reach the CFP. Given the public nature of Kiffin’s situation, McAfee understands what they’re going through.
When he was with the Mountaineers, ex-coach Rich Rodriguez left WVU for Michigan. While McAfee understands it from a player’s perspective, Rodriguez’s time in Ann Arbor didn’t prove fruitful.
“RichRod went to Michigan. He’s back at West Virginia. If he would have never left, that guy probably has the entire university named after him,” McAfee said, adding to his argument for Kiffin to stay put at Ole Miss.
It’s a long week ahead in Oxford and around college football as everyone tunes in to see where Kiffin’s future lies.
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