How Ole Miss football players are avoiding Lane Kiffin to LSU, Florida rumors in off week
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OXFORD — Ole Miss football defensive lineman Will Echoles will go hunting on the open week. Wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling will watch TV. Patrick Kutas has no plans yet, but his weekend will probably include visiting the shooting range.
Getting out and doing something during the No. 6 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1) open date on Nov. 22 will be a good way to keep players’ minds’ off Oxford’s biggest question: What will coach Lane Kiffin do?
Kiffin has emerged as a target to be the next coach at LSU and Florida. He has sidestepped direct questions about his future as the Rebels head toward clinching a spot in the CFP for the first time.
On Nov. 18, Kiffin said on the “Pat McAfee Show” that he has not been given an ultimatum by Ole Miss to make a decision. On3 reported Nov. 17 that Ole Miss AD Keith Carter wants a decision from Kiffin before the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28.
Kutas is doing his best to avoid focusing on the future of his coach.
“Obviously you are going to have people talking about it and bringing it up, but like I said, we all know what we have to achieve and what we have to get done,” Kutas said Nov. 18. “Really, you’ve got to get off social media.”
Kutas didn’t delete any apps. He trusts himself.
“I’ve got them, but I think I’ve got pretty good self control,” Kutas said.
Kiffin has said he does not believe his team is distracted by the uncertainty. In the 2025 version of college football, the transfer portal and NIL make it a year-to-year sport. He may have a point. The Rebels are 4-0 since the rumors started in earnest on Oct. 19 when Florida fired Billy Napier.
Kutas said it’s a business decision. The team is trying to focus on the business of winning the Egg Bowl vs Mississippi State to cement a spot in the CFP.
“Noise is just noise,” Stribling said. “We try to focus on what we’re doing here. The only thing that matters is winning on Saturday.”
According to reports, Kiffin’s family has visited both Gainesville, Florida, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, since Nov. 16.
“You know, we try to keep the mood up, keep the vibes good, keep the energy the same level we’ve been keeping it the whole year because we know what we have in front of us and we all want to achieve the same goal,” Kutas said. “We’re not letting anything distract us. Head on straight forward, put the blinders on.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin to LSU, Florida rumors avoided by Ole Miss players on bye
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