Twelve years ago coach Lane Kiffin was humiliated fired by USC athletic director Pat Hayden on the airport runway at 3 a.m. after the Trojans flew in from Phoenix after was routed by Arizona State, 62–41.
Okay, maybe it wasn't the asphalt, or maybe it was just Trojan lore, or maybe the sudden shooting happened in a small room next to the runway.
Either way, the memory was etched into Kiffin's heart and mind, helping him achieve greater success on the field and seemingly greater peace in his personal life.
Now the situation has changed. Kiffin, 50, has led Ole Miss to a No. 5 national ranking and a 10-1 record. This is the fourth year in the last five years that the Rebels have won at least 10 games. He appears to have shed the reputation for aloofness and self-centeredness that had plagued him as a person. failed NFL head coach at age 32 and as an assistant at Alabama Let go Nick Saban days before the national title game for focusing too much on his next job.
And here we are again: Kiffin is apparently contemplating the unthinkable. Will he really abandon Ole Miss on the eve of the College Football Playoff in favor of Florida or Louisiana State, other SEC schools and the national powerhouses in the hunt for head coaches?
A young fan shows his support for Mississippi State coach Lane Kiffin during the second half of a game against Florida in Oxford, Miss., Nov. 15, 2025.
(Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press)
Kiffin's ex-wife Leila (they are on friendly terms) and 17-year-old son Knox were recently flown on private jets to Gainesville, Fla., and Baton Rouge, La., presumably to test the viability and atmosphere of the potential next entry on Kiffin's resume.
Ole Miss is well aware of Kiffin's upcoming decision and clearly wants to know the answer before the Rebels' regular-season finale on Nov. 28 against Mississippi State. Kiffin, however, denied rumors that Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter gave him an ultimatum to make a decision before then.
“Yeah, that's absolutely not true,” Kiffin said on ESPN's “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “There was no ultimatum, nothing like that at all. And so I don't know where it came from, like a lot of other things that come out there. Like I said, man, we're having a great time. I love it here.”
To be fair, the need to make a decision now rather than at the end of the season is a function of today's college football recruiting calendar and transfer portal. The senior signing period begins December 3rd and the transfer portal opens January 2nd.
The first round of the CFP will take place on December 19 and 20. The quarterfinals will take place on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Florida and LSU can't wait that long to hire a coach.
What should he do? Most experienced experts believe that he should not give up.
“Kiffin should stay and see out the rest of the season; try to win, try to get to the Final Four or beyond, make memories and create the deep connections that coaching is supposed to be about,” longtime columnist Dan Wetzel. wrote for ESPN.
The reasons to go to LSU or Florida are that both schools are in talent-rich states with huge fan bases and deep traditions. The ceiling is higher and the stands are fuller than those in Oxford, Mississippi. Plus, coaches at these SEC powerhouses tend to dig around for years. Who knows when such an opportunity will present itself?
Kiffin's predicament is understandable. However, Old Miss administrators remember well 2022, when Auburn courted Kiffin and allowed the problem to linger and sabotage a potentially great season. The Rebels were 8-1 when the rumors began and then lost four straight games.
Nobody at Ole Miss wants another collapse because Kiffin — again — had a wandering eye. His decision is difficult and it will not wait.
