The only reason Billy Napier wasn’t fired last season is because of DJ Lagway. At one point, likely in November, Florida sat at 4–5. The former Gator’s head coach was this close to getting fired until true freshman DJ Lagway stepped in for Graham Mertz and led the Gators to an 8–5 finish, crushing Ole Miss’ playoff dreams in the process. Fast forward 328 days later—Napier’s out, and Lagway’s sitting near the bottom of the SEC gunslinger rankings. The popular belief is that his form dipped because of an offseason injury. Amid all the chaos, Lane Kiffin sees flashes of the 2024 version of Lagway and hopes that version doesn’t show up again.

On November 11th, College football insider and beat writer Nick Marcinko, for Florida Gators hopped onto X and spilled the tea on what Lane Kiffin thinks of DJ Lagway’s sudden dip in his growth compared to last year’s form and potential ahead of weekend match:

“I don’t know that I’ve seen growth. I do know this, I watched the guy beat us last year and play great and have one of the highest yards per completion of any player in the country last year. I know the guy can play as well as anyone in the country at times and we gotta make sure that’s not against us Saturday night.”

Last season, DJ Lagway was in demon mode. He didn’t rack up huge passing yards, but he made clutch plays when Billy Napier’s job on the line. The former five-star threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 10-of-17 passing, including a late fourth-quarter strike to secure a 24–17 win and knock Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels out of playoff contention.

Eleven months later, it’s the same situation. The No. 7 ranked Rebels are 9–1, and another loss could derail their playoff hopes and cost them a shot at the SEC title game. But this time, Kiffin doesn’t need to panic. Lagway looks like a step-back version of himself. He’s thrown 12 interceptions to just 11 touchdowns through 10 games, and his passing efficiency has dipped significantly. The numbers are eerily similar to last year’s, but some Lagway fans argue that his slump stems from the injuries he suffered early in the season.

Still, there’s a pretty good chance Lane Kiffin could be coaching DJ Lagway next season.

Lane Kiffin to the Florida Gators?? (per Josh Pate)

College football analyst Josh Pate recently shared his thoughts on the never-ending rumors that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin could be heading to Florida soon after the season ends. Even though this week’s matchup between Ole Miss and Florida should focus on the Rebels trying to stay in the SEC title race and playoff picture, much of the talk has shifted to Kiffin’s coaching future. He’s been eyeing the Gators job ever since Billy Napier got fired in October, and the speculation just keeps mounting as the days pass by.

Kiffin hasn’t done much to silence the rumors, either, since he hasn’t signed a major contract extension with Ole Miss – though his win over Oklahoma did trigger an automatic one-year add-on.

During an episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show, Pate said that many people around the Florida program are confident they have a real chance to hire Kiffin. “As for Florida, I don’t think anything’s changed at all,” Pate explained. “I think they’re just waiting on Lane Kiffin, and a lot of people down there that I’ve spoken to feel really good about where they are with Lane Kiffin. They may have reason to feel good about it.”

According to Pate, that optimism might mean Florida insiders believe Kiffin is seriously considering the move. However, Pate made it pretty clear that Kiffin hasn’t officially made up his mind. “It has been my opinion that he has not made his mind up yet,” Pate said. “But if someone at Florida knows different, good on them.” While some people in Gainesville seem confident, Pate himself believes Kiffin’s decision is still up in the air.

Still, Florida isn’t putting all its hopes on one person. Pate said the Gators are “doing their due diligence” by researching other coaching candidates, but the signs still seem to point toward Kiffin being their top target.