Lane Kiffin as the next head coach of the Florida Gators has been a narrative that is being pushed more and more lately since the Gators’ week one loss to the Miami Hurricanes. The 41-17 drumming put current head coach Billy Napier squarely in the cross hairs of the fan base due to how the team looked on the field.
And with speculation swirling about the firing of the third-year coach, speculation is also swirling about whether or not current Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is the man for the job. And many think so. I however will offer some counter perspective than justify why Kiffin would be better suited staying in Oxford.
Why should Lane Kiffin stay at Ole Miss?
1. Ole Miss is a better program than Florida
Traditionally, the Florida Gators are the one with more prestige one would think. They are the one with deeper pockets and national championships. Aside from Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer however, success has been few and far between for a program and administration that is seemingly floundering for more than a decade now.
Long gone are the days of Tim Tebow and the power house Gator offenses. Since Meyer exited, the Gators are on their fourth head coach in Napier. Their record as a program since his exit is 99-67, which is a far cry from the national title level expectations Gator fans have for the program.
On the flip side, Kiffin has had two 10-plus win seasons since arriving in Oxford in 2020 and has seemingly resurrected a program that has seen only two 10-plus win seasons before his arrival dating back to 1971. Last year was the Rebels’ first 11-win season in program history.
2. Built by Saban
Kiffin had the privilege of being the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the legendary Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Like Kiffin, Saban inherited a program at Alabama that had fallen on hard times and resurrected it. 17 years later, he built the program back to a juggernaut, winning six national championships and nine SEC championships.
Kiffin coached under Saban for three years from 2014-2016 and was a part of the 2015 National Championship staff. Hopefully for the Rebels, Kiffin learned from Saban that the grass is not always greener, and that staying in one place and building something great is invaluable. And Kiffin is already on his way to doing that at Ole Miss. The Saban mindset could serve him well for a very long time in Oxford if he is willing to let it.
3. Kiffin could have a lot of ‘firsts’ at Ole Miss
Unlike the Florida Gators who have won SEC and national championships, the Rebels’ last era of success on that level came in the 1960’s. By staying in Oxford and continuing to build upon what he has started, Kiffin has a good chance to do great things in Oxford that have never been done before, and would be revered as one of the greatest coaches in program history alongside Johnny Vaught should he opt to stay and do so.
How neat would it be to see a Lane Kiffin-coached Rebels team in Atlanta for the SEC Championship game?
4. More pressure at Florida
Despite the recent success of one program in Ole Miss and the recent floundering’s of another in Florida, the pressure in Gainesville is always arguably going to be greater than what it is in Oxford. If Kiffin continues to have the level of success he has with the Rebels, he would stay off the hot seat however and be revered as one of the best coaches ever at Ole Miss as mentioned prior.
If Kiffin was putting together the seasons he has been for the Gators, this would not be good enough for their fans and he would find himself as yet another coach on the hot seat in Gainesville. Long story short, going 10-2 or 9-3 would keep you in Oxford forever. This type of record in Gainesville would only keep you there for a few years.
5. Kiffin Daughter
Kiffin’s oldest daughter, Landry is attending Ole Miss and according to ESPN stopped him from taking the Auburn job last year.
“You left me one time for another job when you went to Alabama, and now I’m here with you and you’re going to do it again,” she asked her father.
Landry lived in Los Angeles but moved to Oxford for her senior year in order to be closer to her dad.
Kiffin has been seen on X (formerly known as Twitter) in pictures with his daughter which reflect the two enjoying their time together while they’re both in Oxford.
Kiffin’s son, Knox is also planning to move to Oxford next summer to play for Oxford High School. Knox is a quarterback, which is Kiffin’s bread and butter as we know.
6. Gainesville Florida is not South Florida
It is no secret that Kiffin loves the state of Florida. He spent a lot of time there as a child when his father, Monte Kiffin coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an assistant on the staff for nearly a decade. He was also the head coach of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida for three years after departing Tuscaloosa.
Boca Raton however is South Florida and coastal. Beaches, fishing and more are all activities that you can easily surround yourself with. While Gainesville is an attractive area for many, these types of activities which Kiffin appears to enjoy do not exist as much there due to Gainesville being more inland.
This many sounds silly, but it is true. Like most states, Florida is a large state as well with many different areas. And Gainesville is not the coastal attraction that one may think of.
7. Kiffin makes a lot of money
$8.85 million. That is how much Kiffin is set to make in 2024. Sure, the University of Florida may pay a bit more, but let us be honest here- eight million dollars should be more than enough for anyone. So, at this point hopefully it is more about the situation for Kiffin and not the overall paycheck, which is already more than enough.
8. NIL situation much more positive at Ole Miss
The Grove Collective is one of the most successful NIL Collectives in college sports. On the football front, it has done wonders for Kiffin and the Rebels who were able to secure the fourth ranked transfer portal class in 2024 according to On3.
On the Counter, while the Gator Collective now seems to be on a better track in Gainesville, they sure have had some rough patches with their NIL situation in general the past few seasons which includes an on-going lawsuit between former Florida Gators quarterback Jaden Rashada and Napier.
There is something about that power blue and wanting it and the Rebels to remain as a mainstay atop the SEC. Not only would it be best for the program if Kiffin stayed, but best for Kiffin as well. And we all remember the statement Kiffin made a few years ago that is now famous in that he needed Oxford more than Oxford needed him. Hopefully for the Rebels, that still holds true as well.