Florida State made a 'stealth move to poach' Lane Kiffin as head coach
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The Lane Kiffin sweepstakes included a fourth unknown, mystery team.
According to a report from ESPN,Florida State made a behind-the-scenes move for the former Ole Miss football coach before he agreed to become the LSU head coach. ESPN said FSU “was making a stealth move to poach Kiffin,” while Florida and LSU made public courtings of the Tigers’ head coach.
The Seminoles’ recruitment of Norvell continued into the middle of November, but when it became clear Kiffin would not leave Ole Miss to coach in Tallahassee, FSU announced on Nov. 23 it would retain Norvell for the 2026 season despite being 5-6 at the time. It will be his seventh with Florida State.
If Florida State had gone through with the pursuit of Kiffin, it would have likely needed to match the seven-year, $91 million contract Kiffin signed with the Tigers. In addition to the massive contracts, FSU would have also owed Norvell about $54 million for buyouts if fired without cause, plus around another $18 million for his assistant coaches’ buyouts.
Hiring a coach like a Kiffin ― who has led Ole Miss to an 11-1 record and a likely College Football Playoff berth (for which Kiffin will not be coaching the Rebels) ― would have helped justify Alford paying out nearly $72 million for the buyout of Norvell and his assistants.
Alford and Kiffin are familiar with one another from the time they worked together at USC. Alford served as the Trojans’ associate AD from 2003-03, with Kiffin serving as Pete Carroll’s tight ends and wide receivers coach from 2001-03.
While the news of FSU’s pursuit of Kiffin was kept under wraps, it’s not the first time he has been floated as a potential replacement for Norvell. When Norvell was a candidate for the Alabama opening in 2023 following the abrupt retirement of Nick Saban, Kiffin was a name that FSU explored as a potential replacement.
Since going 13-1 in 2023, including winning the ACC championship game before being snubbed from the CFP, the Seminoles have cratered with back-to-back losing seasons at 2-10 and 5-7 in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State made a ‘stealth move to poach’ Lane Kiffin as head coach
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