LSU has been actively vying for Lane Kiffin as its next head coach. After firing Brian Kelly, LSU’s new president and AD wants the Ole Miss HC to lead the program. Reports indicate that LSU is poised to throw a huge deal, exceeding $13 million a year, which could make him the highest-paid coach in college football. But then Florida AD, Scott Stricklin, stepped in and made a move for the Rebels’ head coach, putting the Lane Kiffin-to–Baton Rouge dream on pause.

As per 247sports reporter Graham Hall, “Florida athletic department officials met Thursday night with representatives of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.” The location for the meeting remains undisclosed, but it was not just a casual meet-and-greet. The Gators showed serious interest, coming right after LSU rolled out the red carpet with a family tour of Baton Rouge for Kiffin’s clan on Monday.

This dance with Kiffin also has some personal layers. Layla, his ex-wife, and Knox, Oxford High’s sophomore QB, showed up in Gainesville over the weekend without Lane. Their family already has roots in Florida’s recruiting-rich scene, which gives the place some extra pull.

After all, he has been a long-standing target for Florida, dating back to 2021 and the hiring of Billy Napier. Despite Napier’s eventual firing this season, Stricklin insisted on a wide range of candidates. However, insiders knew Kiffin was always in the mix. Scott Stricklin has been doing his homework on Lane Kiffin throughout this whole Florida coaching situation. However, it won’t be that easy for the Gators as Kiffin’s Ole Miss contract complicates matters.

Now, if Kiffin wishes to terminate his contract on or before December 31, he owes the Rebels a flat fee of approximately $4 million. However, if Kiffin gets fired without cause, then Ole Miss will have to give him $36.6m before December 31. Looking at the current playoff rankings, Ole Miss is sitting firmly with a solid 10-1 record. So being fired from Oxford remains out of the park.

Ole Miss reportedly gave him a Nov. 28 ultimatum to decide if he’ll stay or jump ship. But Lane Kiffin, on the November 18th episode of the Pat McAfee show, the HC denied receiving any such notice to decide his future before the Egg Bowl. Lane Kiffin has been involved in some interesting situations in the past. His exits from Tennessee and USC Trojans labeled him as disloyal and immature. Will this happen again?

According to reports, he was already keeping tabs on Kiffin even before the Gators fired Billy Napier on Sunday. Stricklin’s also been calling people in Kiffin’s circle to get a feel for things, per CBS Sports. “Not buying any smoke that Stricklin isn’t giving Kiffin total control or his choice of GM, etc, Gator insider,” Will Norris writes on X. “He just gave Napier total control to hire whoever he wanted at whatever exorbitant salary their ridiculous title demanded.”

Stricklin’s whole approach was basically, “hire the head coach and let him run the show.” A big example of that was Napier refusing to hand over offensive play-calling duties, even when things weren’t going well.

Lane Kiffin gets bashed 

The HC appeared on the Pat McAfee show, cleared the ultimatum part, but still did not commit to the program 100%. This sort of ‘mind games’ has triggered his transfer triangle between Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida. Not many are fans of such an approach from Lane Kiffin. In fact, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum called him out for not being honest.

“I thought his interview the other day with McAfee was about as poor a choice as I’ve seen Lane Kiffin make,” Finebaum said on the November 21st episode of his show. “I know Lane Kiffin pretty well. That was not Lane Kiffin. It was just somebody trying to be somebody that he’s not. So, he can still salvage it if he stays where he is. Now, if he ends up leaving, this will depart from Tennessee, seem like kindergarten stuff.”

Plus, the Kiffin family is reportedly using a private plane for their visit in Gainesville, and Baton Rouge adds unnecessary drama. It also puts a lot of stress on Ole Miss. Now, with a 10–1 record and the Rebels emerging as one of the SEC’s top playoff contenders, will Lane Kiffin make the jump?

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