Lane Kiffin timeline: Recapping a crazy 48 hours, details on the LSU offer

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind regarding the status of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. LSU and Florida have both circled Kiffin as priority No. 1 of their respective coaching searches. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is doing all it can to keep Kiffin, but the Rebels want Kiffin to make a decision sooner rather than later.

Kiffin and Ole Miss are 10-1 and on the verge of making the College Football Playoff. The current spectacle is unprecedented as far as coaching searches go, but this is a new era of college football. The expanded playoff means more teams are in the hunt and playoff games start earlier on the calendar. That increases the chance that a coach involved in the playoff will be a candidate for another job.

We’re seeing that scenario play out in a very public way right now.

The last few days have provided twists and turns and the next 48 hours may be more of the same. To catch you up, here’s what’s occurred in the Kiffin saga so far.

Kiffin’s camp visits Gainesville and Baton Rouge

Kiffin’s candidacy at Florida and LSU was never a secret. Given Kiffin’s success at Ole Miss, he’s the hottest name of the coaching cycle. But the first real public smoke occurred earlier this week when reports emerged of Kiffin’s family touring Gainesville and Baton Rouge. Reports said Kiffin was not on those trips, but Kiffin’s ex-wife, Layla Kiffin, was.

This showed Kiffin was long past an introductory conversation with Florida or LSU. The star coach is giving real thought to leaving Ole Miss.

Report: Ole Miss gives Kiffin a deadline

As news of the Gainesville and Baton Rouge visits broke, more reports about Ole Miss’s frustration began to emerge. At 10-1, Ole Miss has a lot on the line. This has the chance to be a historic season in Oxford and ideally, the Rebels are spending pivotal days caught up in coaching drama. It appears we’re already at that point and Ole Miss wants this resolved before the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss is on bye this week.

Kiffin denies there’s a deadline

A day after the report stated that Ole Miss set a deadline, Kiffin denied it on the Pat McAfee show.

“That’s absolutely not true, there’s been no ultimatum, anything like that at all,” Kiffin said.

But a report from CBS Sports said Kiffin’s comments don’t give a full summary of the situation. CBS’s John Talty reported that Ole Miss wouldn’t let Kiffin coach in the playoff if Kiffin decides to move on. That would mean Ole Miss needs to know Kiffin’s intentions sooner rather than later.

Even if there’s not an official ultimatum, pressure is building to find a resolution.

If Kiffin is gone, Ole Miss needs to carry out a coaching search, too. The Rebels don’t want to be left behind as schools like Auburn pursue Jon Sumrall.

Report: LSU’s offer to Kiffin is significant

According to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, LSU’s offer to Kiffin is impressive.

“In Baton Rouge, Kiffin’s contract would likely make him, at the very least, tied with the highest-paid coach in the country, Georgia’s Kirby Smart at $13 million. That also includes around a $30 million guarantee for the football roster (revenue-share + NIL),” wrote Dellenger.

But Dellenger noted that all three offers — Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida — are all in the same ballpark money-wise.

What’s next?

At this point, who knows?

Nobody seems to have a bead on Kiffin’s next move. For all we know, Kiffin is still deciding. But a resolution is expected soon. It would not be a shock to see the rest of this story unravel by the end of the week. Next week, Ole Miss will begin its official practice week for the Egg Bowl. The higher-ups at Ole Miss want to be done with the uncertainty by then.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Kiffin timeline: Recapping a crazy 48 hours, details on the LSU offer

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos