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Dan Wetzel
In January 2017, just days before Alabama played Clemson for the national championship, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban essentially fired his offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin.
Officially it was because Kiffin’s acceptance of the Florida Atlantic head coaching job had caused «distractions.»
Really though, Kiffin had so worn out his welcome that Saban, a man who despises any disruption to pretty much anything, was willing to dump his playcaller before the biggest game of the season. (Alabama would lose to Clemson, although Saban, of course, said Kiffin’s departure played no role.)
And now that very same Lane Kiffin, with his No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels hurtling toward the College Football Playoff and rival SEC programs frothing to send a Brink’s truck to Oxford to lure him away, might be the belle of college football.
Back then, though, Kiffin was mostly its court jester — talented but immature, brilliant but self-destructive. He seemed destined to fade away in Conference USA purgatory.
Tennessee, long enough for his antics to rack up fines and reprimands from the SEC, not to mention a full recruiting banishment by a Florida high school.
Still, his departure to USC caused so much anger in Knoxville that the city council considered a proposal to name a wastewater treatment plant the «Lane Kiffin Sewage Center.»
He lasted three-plus seasons at USC before being fired at the airport upon returning from a loss. Working for Saban offered a reboot, but he acknowledges now he was drinking too much and wasn’t particularly close to even his own kids. Then even Saban got tired of him.
And yet here we are, in 2025, with Kiffin not just in the top 10, but atop every dream coaching candidate list that tens of millions in buyout money can create.
LSU, Florida and Arkansas have already committed a collective $84 million to fire their head coaches.
But they all hope he returns their calls.
Florida State and Auburn might dump their guys for the chance as well.
Or he can just renegotiate with Ole Miss for some untold fortune and try to do what was previously considered impossible: win a national title in Oxford.
Kiffin was once a job-jumping, opportunity seeker. Tennessee wasn’t good enough, after all. Now? Maybe not. He speaks about balance and family and comfort.
That all plays to Ole Miss, which is understandably worried that the lure — and greater resources — at LSU and Florida will sway him.
Also in the Rebels’ favor? Kiffin is doing too good of a job. If Ole Miss makes the playoff, then that ties him up until at least Dec. 19 or 20, when the first-round games will be played, or even longer if the Rebels earn a bye.
Leaving would require either Kiffin quitting on his current team (exceedingly unlikely) or a major power patiently waiting (also unlikely). And if the Rebels keep advancing, well, the transfer portal is open Jan. 2-12. The playoff runs through Jan. 19. How would that even work?
Whatever Kiffin decides, he has morphed into college football’s most intriguing character, if not the best pure coach for the current era. Yes, he’s more focused now that cocktail lounges no longer play a role in his life, but the sport has also moved toward him.
It’s the transfer market that matters these days, meaning Ole Miss’ relative (compared to SEC behemoths) lack of money, history and recruiting power matter less. Attracting and identifying talented and hungry transfers matters more.
Kiffin dubbed himself the «Portal King» for a reason.
It was, after all, the Ole Miss coaching staff (led by offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.) that spent last April scouring Division II tape in search of hidden talent only to find Ferris State quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
They pounced and beat out Temple for a player who is now a Heisman Trophy contender.
LSU offers a talent-rich recruiting area, the obsession of the state (Louisiana’s governor was in on the firing of Brian Kelly) and a track record of national titles. Florida is a big, wealthy program with its own mantle of championships. Once upon a time, that would have sealed the deal for one of them.
But Ole Miss offers grass that might be green enough, especially in an era when what you do matters more than where you do it.
That means all eyes are on Lane Kiffin — his team and his future. Once famed for his firings, he has college football in the palm of his hands.
