LSU officials are mobilizing around a heightened pursuit of Lane Kiffin.
University executives and athletic administrators are finalizing terms of a multi-million-dollar contract proposal and seeking a commitment from the Ole Miss coach within the next week — the latest and most serious push in the courtship of Kiffin.
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However, the coach’s true intent remains a mystery — even to those closest to him, as he decides between staying in Oxford or leaving for open jobs at LSU or Florida.
A meeting among Kiffin, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and university chancellor Glenn Boyce on Friday afternoon produced no resolution about his future, according to a statement from Carter. In the statement, Carter revealed that an announcement on Kiffin’s future would be made next Saturday, after Ole Miss meets Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, key LSU decision-makers are gearing up for a formal offer to the coach and his representatives. While specific details of the contract remain fluid, sources told Yahoo Sports that school executives have discussed a seven-year, incentive-laden deal worth at least $90 million — figures that would make Kiffin, at the very least, tied for the highest-paid coach in the sport. The school is, as well, promising significant NIL-related roster investments exceeding $25 million — perhaps the most important determining factor for the coach.
Despite comments last month from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry critical of high-priced coaching contracts, the state’s top elected official has blessed the university’s lucrative pursuit of Kiffin, led by newly appointed athletic director Verge Ausberry. While there is brewing confidence in Baton Rouge that the latest push will lure the coach into a commitment, Florida administrators and top donors have felt similarly in a chase of the coach that dates back weeks.
Will Lane Kiffin be back at Ole Miss next season, or will he bolt for LSU or Florida? (Randy J. Williams/Getty Images)
(Randy J. Williams via Getty Images)
Both LSU and Florida officials are cognizant of Kiffin’s indecision and remain engaged with other candidates in a pool that includes, but is not limited to, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, who many believe to be the leading candidate in Auburn’s search to replace Hugh Freeze.
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Kiffin’s indecision is proving problematic for Ole Miss — for a variety of reasons.
The Rebels, ranked No. 6 and squarely in the College Football Playoff, are gearing up for the annual rivalry game against Mississippi State in Starkville next Friday — a result that may determine if the program hosts a playoff game in Oxford. They have an outside chance of even advancing to the SEC championship game.
Those around the Ole Miss program describe a team of players made uncomfortable if not frustrated and angry by the public nature of Kiffin’s decision.
“It’s not good,” says one official who frequently attends practice and visits the Manning Center, the Ole Miss football facility. “The players know. They read it all.”
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For weeks now, school officials have outlined a plan to retain Kiffin, already in the top 10 in salary at $9 million a year. The plan features an increase in salary but, perhaps more importantly, guarantees NIL compensation for the roster — something school officials presented to the coach in meetings earlier this week.
In a sitdown with Yahoo Sports just 10 days ago, Kiffin outlined the determining factors for coaches to take other jobs, identifying “above-the-cap” NIL as one of the most important issues. Ole Miss is believed to have spent around $20 million on its football roster this season — a figure that likely ranks inside the top 10-15 nationally.
Kiffin stands to make an unprecedented decision never before witnessed in the history of the sport — leaving a team bound for the playoffs and with championship stakes still very much alive.
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His decision, if he were to leave next week, could jeopardize his own team’s seeding and playoff berth. One of the CFP selection committee’s criteria is the consideration of injuries and other events surrounding a team’s season. The loss of Kiffin — known for his offensive mastery — may impact the Rebels’ chances. A loss to Mississippi State likely drops them into a large pool of potential 10-2 teams on the bubble of the playoff field, including Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, BYU, Utah and Oklahoma.
Win on Saturday in Starkville and the Rebels are almost certain to secure a home playoff game — even without the coach.
Kiffin serves as the key cog in a historic coaching cycle.
His decision has far-reaching ramifications on multiple open jobs and coaching candidates — a ripple effect that is likely to be felt across the country, specifically in Auburn, Ala., Gainesville, Fla., and even State College, Penn.
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“Everybody’s waiting on him,” says one industry source.
Over the last week, Kiffin has left plenty of signs that a departure from Ole Miss is possible if not likely. Aside from passing on a multi-million-dollar new deal with the program, members of the coach’s family visited both Gainesville and Baton Rouge in trips that Ole Miss administrators learned about from someone other than Kiffin.
His daughter, Landry, attended an LSU fan event in Baton Rouge on Thursday. Landry, a sophomore at Ole Miss, announced publicly earlier this fall that she is dating LSU star Whit Weeks.
Ole Miss is off Saturday before coaching staff and players are due back Sunday afternoon to continue preparations for the Bulldogs (5-6).
Hovering over them all is a somewhat unprecedented situation.
Said one person close to the situation: “I don’t know how this is going to make it to Friday.”
