Kirk Herbstreit Predicts Lane Kiffin's Decision Amid College Football Rumors
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There isn’t a more popular name being floated around the college football coaching carousel than Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. The sixth-year head coach has the Rebels sitting at 8-1 on the season and ranked as the No. 7 team in the country.
With jobs such as Florida and LSU opening up after the respective firings of Billy Napier and Brian Kelly, the chatter around college football is that Kiffin essentially has his pick of the litter for what he wants to do next. Kiffin, 50, is renowned for his offensive prowess as Ole Miss ranks No. 12 in total offense this season and pumped out a first-round pick at quarterback in Jaxson Dart for the first time since 2004 (Eli Manning).
While there seems to be a large consensus of fans who think Kiffin should take on a premier job in college football, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit appears to have the opposite opinion, as revealed when making an appearance on the “Ryen Russillo Show.”
When asked by Russillo what he would do if he were Kiffin, Herbstreit didn’t hesitate to say that he would remain in Oxford.
“I might stay,” Herbstreit said. “I really might. In the world we’re in now.”
Herbstreit expressed that, unlike in years past, where there was a race to get to the top jobs in the Big Ten or SEC, there are a handful of programs where they can still compete and not have to deal with the same level of pressure.
“If you’ve got the resources to put a staff together and pay your players, why not coach there and not deal with not sleeping at night because you’re not going to win 11 games,” Herbstreit said.
While Kiffin may want to do just that, it may cost Ole Miss a chunk of change. Kiffin is being paid $9 million, which is currently No. 10 in college football, according to USA TODAY.
With that being said, Ole Miss had just two 10+ win seasons from 2000-19. With Kiffin at the helm, they have had three in the past four years and are on track to make it four in the past five, while also making the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Only time will tell, but it seems Kiffin has a huge choice to make.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names Historic Program That Hurt Its Chances to Land Lane Kiffin
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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