Gators’ top target Lane Kiffin to announce future plans after Ole Miss’ Nov. 28 game
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GAINESVILLE — Florida will have to wait another week until Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin announces whether he’ll coach the Gators, LSU or his current Rebels in 2026.
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter issued a statement Friday that Kiffin would reveal his future plans Nov. 29, a day after the No. 6 Rebels visit rival Mississippi State with a CFP berth on the line for Ole Miss.
The push from three programs seeking Kiffin’s services led Carter to address the matter publicly.
“Coach Kiffin and I have had many pointed and positive conversations regarding his future at Ole Miss, including meeting [Friday] with Chancellor [Glenn] Boyce,” Carter said. “While we discuss next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our sixth-ranked team that is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion.”
Kiffin is the top target for UF and LSU while Ole Miss hopes he’ll remain with the Rebels.
The Gators turned their attention to Kiffin after firing Billy Napier Oct. 19, but LSU entered the mix when it fired Brian Kelly Oct. 26.
Kiffin has coached Ole Miss (10-1) to the cusp of the program’s first CFP appearance and is 54-19 during his six seasons in Oxford.
Three fan bases will be on edge as the Rebels prepare for one of the most important games in program history.
Ole Miss would offer Kiffin a chance to build on his success, including three consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in program history. Along the way, the 50-year-old Kiffin also made significant life changes while his family settled in the area. His son Knox is a local high school star quarterback while daughter Landry is an Ole Miss student.
Kiffin also has connections with the Gators.
He eventually married Layla Reaves, a UF graduate and daughter of Gators record-setting quarterback John Reaves. The couple’s first date was a game in the Swamp, a nickname given by former coach Steve Spurrier.
Spurrier is an idol of the offensive-minded Kiffin, whose father, Monte, his father, was the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Bucs (1996-2008) during UF’s glory years under the Head Ball Coach.
Meanwhile, LSU offers a chance to coach in arguably the sport’s best atmosphere, at 102,321-seat Tiger Stadium, in a state with a fertile recruiting base where virtually every top player dreams of playing Baton Rogue. The three LSU coaches previous to Kelly each won national titles, Nick Saban (2003), Les Miles (2007) and Ed Orgeron (2019).
UF’s next coach will be the fifth since Urban Meyer left in 2010 after winning national titles in 2006 and 2008. Ole Miss’ sole national title was shared with Minnesota in 1960.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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