Key Points:
- Ole Miss is 8-1 and ranked No. 6, but Lane Kiffin’s coaching future remains uncertain.
- Joel Klatt voiced concern since Kiffin hasn’t signed an extension or ruled out other job offers.
- Despite lucrative interest elsewhere, Kiffin insists money won’t influence his decisions about his coaching future.
The Ole Miss Rebels have compiled an 8-1 record through their first nine games this season, and were ranked as the No. 6 team in the first College Football Playoff Rankings on Tuesday, but the program still may be worrying about its future.
This isn’t in reference to the team’s final three games, as ESPN’s FPI views them as having the easiest remaining games in the conference. Instead, the growing concern around Oxford centers around the future of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. The sixth-year head coach seems well on his way to leading the program to its fourth 10+ win season in the past five years and also has Ole Miss in prime position to make its first-ever College Football Playoff.
However, the offensive savant has been a popular name mentioned for notable college football head coaching openings, with him viewed as the top candidate for jobs such as LSU, which fired Brian Kelly amid his fourth season, and Florida, which moved on from Billy Napier amid his fourth as well. While Kiffin is the trendy name for both by a clear margin, it wasn’t always that way. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti was a popular name being tossed around until he inked an eight-year $93 million extension. Oregon’s Dan Lanning was also frequently mentioned before he confidently revealed he plans to remain in Eugene for the rest of his career.
While Kiffin has said he won’t chase money, Fox’s Joel Klatt revealed on a recent episode of the “Joel Klatt Show” that because Kiffin has yet to sign an extension or send a strong statement that he won’t be leaving, he is a bit worried for Ole Miss at this time.
Joel Klatt says he’s worried about Ole Miss as Lane Kiffin coaching rumors flourish
“Now, one thing to watch out for for Ole Miss down the stretch is you’re seeing a lot of other coaches that are high-profile that will absolutely be targeted and mentioned for all these job openings and they’re taking their name out of the hat,” Klatt said. “Three specifically, Dan Lanning said absolutely not, I’m at Oregon. Matt Rhule signed an extension at Nebraska and Curt Cignetti signed an extension at Indiana. So the longer that Lane Kiffin doesn’t sign an extension at Ole Miss or come out and absolutely, emphatically and definitively like Dan Lanning did turn these jobs down and say, ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ the distraction is going to creep up at Ole Miss.”
While money is frequently discussed as a motivating factor, Kiffin revealed on the “The Pat McAfee Show” last month that it doesn’t influence him like it does others.
“I have never made a decision based off money, nor will I”, Kiffin said. “I’ve seen too many examples in life where money does not buy happiness. So I’m never going to make a decision off of money, nor do I care about it. Jimmy Sexton (Kiffin’s agent) gets really mad when I say that.”
Kiffin has said the right things when asked, but clearly, an extension would ease the minds of many.