What Lane Kiffin said about his legacy as Ole Miss, Florida, LSU await decision
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OXFORD — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin got a question he wasn’t prepared for in the Nov. 19 SEC conference call.
Kiffin is the key figure in the college football coaching carousel. He is being pursued by both LSU and Florida addition to No. 6 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1) wanting him to return for a seventh season in 2026.
Reports of receiving an ultimatum to make a decision, and of his family visiting Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Gainesville, Florida, intensified speculation.
As Kiffin navigates this stay-or-go process, to what degree has he thought about what he wants his career legacy to be? The question came from USA TODAY’s Blake Toppmeyer.
“That’s good one Blake,” Kiffin said. “Kyle (Ole Miss SID) had me ready for some of them. I wasn’t ready for that.”
Kiffin said he’d like time to sit down and write out a thought-out response, but came up with an answer.
“I love that I feel like my story, what I’ve gone through, my experiences, are able to impact people,” Kiffin said. “And I remember speaking at my dad’s funeral and so many people from so many places, sending cards, coming down, saying things about his impact on them. And I was like, God, that’s what I hope for.”
Kiffin’s father, Monte, is a legendary college and NFL coach. Monte died in 2024.
Leaving Ole Miss could impact Kiffin’s legacy. He has been vocal about being “in the good old days” in Oxford. His family is with him.
Kiffin’s non-committal answers regarding his future have frustrated some Ole Miss fans who want clarity. Leaving for a new job could swing his image away from being the grounded family man chasing happiness back to an unpredictable coach-for-hire. The flip side is it would endear him to a new fan base even more.
Kiffin’s advice through the turbulence? On Nov. 15, he told players to live in the moment.
“So enjoy it, because these runs don’t happen very often anywhere,” Kiffin said.
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 on his legacy as LSU, Florida, Ole Miss decision remains
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