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Remember how Lane Kiffin was the hottest name in the coaching carousel last year? Now, his son is also popping up on the radar, adding some interesting P4 offers to his haul. Knox Kiffin’s latest came from the coach who tried to recruit his father to Florida, as his replacement.

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Now-head coach of UNLV, Dan Mullen extended a scholarship offer to Knox Kiffin. The 2028 QB announced it on his Instagram story, sharing a photo of the UNLV logo. The Rebels are yet to add a single player to their 2028 class, and they have offered other QBs like Hunter Fujikawa, Bode Spence, Brodie Scheinberg, and Ace Amina. But Knox Kiffin is the biggest fish in this class.

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The young QB is the No. 1 quarterback in Louisiana in the 2028 cycle, according to Rivals. According to MaxPreps, Kiffin has hauled in a total of 1,236 and 14 touchdowns last season. Knox Kiffin already shows natural play-making ability. He can move well, make plays outside the pocket, and be creative when things break down. Now, you know why teams are showing interest in him.

Dan Mullen does not have any overlap with the Kiffin family. But he holds Lane Kiffin in high regard. When he was fired from Florida in 2021, he recommended the LSU coach as his replacement, who was then coaching at Ole Miss. Florida tried to follow that advice in 2025, but couldn’t match LSU’s offer. This offer is what officially connects Mullen and Kiffin together.

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Credits: Knox Kiffin InstagramKnox Kiffin has 10 offers as of now, including those from Washington, SMU, Arkansas State, and even Alabama. But LSU is not in the mix, even though Lane Kiffin and Co. have begun recruiting for 2028. They are both in Baton Rouge, but Knox plans to chart his own way in his career. Before his father moved to LSU, Kiffin had firmly stated that he did not want to play with him. But he was interested in playing for the Tigers because of a change in their “culture.”

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Even though things have not been made official yet, this father-son duo still has a chance at being together at LSU.

What are the odds of Knox Kiffin suiting up in the purple and gold?

Last year, Knox had named LSU among his top three schools, along with Oregon and Florida. Even though he has not started his junior year yet and does not have a ranking, it won’t be out of the ordinary if either of them makes him an offer. Kiffin also said that Oregon and Florida are his “dream schools.”

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But the QB room at LSU right now seems to be crowded. After Sam Leavitt leaves, the charge is expected to be taken up by Husan Longstreet, who was waiting in the wings at USC as well. LSU also brought in transfer QB Landen Clark, who is experienced, and could also give a strong fight to be QB2 on the list. So when 2028 comes around, Knox Kiffin might not get enough reps if he picks LSU. But in the future, he has a chance to carve out a bigger role.

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Oregon and Florida, however, are led by head coaches as dynamic as his father. And, both also have success with quarterbacks. Dillon Gabriel sent three top signal-callers to the NFL consecutively: Marcus Mariota, Bo Nix, and  Dillon Gabriel. He’s scheduled to see another success in Dante Moore. Florida, on the other hand, has grown into a recruit hubbub lately, thanks to the arrival of Jon Sumrall and the revival he is orchestrating there.

Knox Kiffin is a rising star and will soon make an impact noticeable enough for even bigger players to enter the mix for him. But the two Kiffins playing together at Baton Rouge is definitely going to be a great storyline in college football.

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Papiya Chatterjee

2,786 Articles

Papiya Chatterjee is a Senior College Football Writer at EssentiallySports, working on the site’s Trends Desk. She has covered two action-packed seasons and played a central role in ES Behind the Scenes analysis, spotlighting the game’s biggest stars. During the draft, her reporting on the surprising Know more

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Afreen Kabir

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