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Lane Kiffin is inching closer to the playoffs, but the rumors around his Ole Miss future are not dying down. While Florida attracted the initial buzz, Brian Kelly’s firing has also put LSU in the mix. However, it appears the Gators are slowly distancing themselves in the race.
Josh Pate recently shed light on the coaching carousel situation, which continues to grow complicated with now 12 head coaching jobs open. It seems Kiffin himself is not helping the situation.
Josh Pate Reveals How Florida Is Seeing Lane Kiffin
Pate, in the latest episode of his College Football Show, said that Florida’s planning for finding Billy Napier’s replacement hadn’t changed. He pointed out that they were waiting on Kiffin. People have repeatedly raised the connection between Florida and Kiffin to highlight how it’s a foregone conclusion.
“As for Florida, I don’t think anything’s changed at all. I think they’re just waiting on Lane Kiffin. And a lot of people down there that I’ve spoken to feel really good about where they are with Lane Kiffin. They may have reason to feel good about it,” Pate declared.
Pate also added that Kiffin had not made up his mind. But he also mentioned how LSU’s situation with Brian Kelly helped Florida’s cause. He continued, “This week at LSU has to have helped Florida’s cause. It can’t have hurt. It cannot possibly have hurt Florida’s cause.”
While Pate concluded by asking Florida fans to buy Kiffin’s name, Ole Miss fans might feel anxious about their head coach’s lack of explicit commitment to them. Kiffin addressed the same when asked about picking between Ole Miss and Florida during Monday’s press conference, and the answer failed to convince many.
“I don’t know. I’m not that far down the road,” Kiffin had announced. This is a far cry from the likes of Dan Lanning, who promptly shuts down any connections to other programs. Kiffin hasn’t hinted at a contract extension with Ole Miss yet.
When Matt Rhule’s links to Penn State first surfaced, he was quick to sign a contract extension. Curt Cignetti and Rhett Lashlee have also done the same to confirm their allegiance to their programs.
Frustration added up when the Ole Miss fan noticed how Kiffin explained the desirability of a coaching job. He listed stadium size, tradition, Heisman trophies, national championships, and location to any recruit. These are all the parameters where Florida edges Ole Miss.
PFSN’s Playoff Meter ranks Florida as the 51st team in power rankings and projects them to add one more win and end close to a 4-8 losing season. Ole Miss, on the other hand, is the 7th-ranked team in the latest CFP Rankings.
The Ole Miss and Florida tussle might continue until either Kiffin signs an extension at Oxford or makes a switch that has been long in making.
