Being a hot commodity in the coaching circle of college football comes with a lot of attention. For Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, that is both good and bad news. His recent interview with Pat McAfee went viral, where he discussed his future with Ole Miss. However, that didn’t stop ESPN’s Paul Finebaum from calling 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, other than maybe some of those fourth-down calls when he would lose every year to Nick Saban. It accomplished nothing, and it was fake, quite frankly.” 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.”

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. And with LSU and Florida Gators eyeing the Rebels’ head coach, questions started popping up about his future. Rumors started floating around that Ole Miss gave Kiffin an ultimatum to decide on his future.

Even though Kiffin denied these rumors, he didn’t confirm his intentions to stay at Ole Miss either. This sort of ‘mind games’ has triggered his transfer triangle between Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida. And with rumors circulating that Kiffin and his camp went out in private planes to take a look at places in Gainesville and Baton Rouge, it puts a lot of stress on Ole Miss as well. Even FOX analyst Joel Klatt weighed in on the matter, believing that this is a way of Kiffin trying to make the CFB headlines all about himself.

“In true Lane fashion, now the college football world, at least from a coaching perspective, kind of revolves around him,” Klatt commented on the November 20th episode of his show. “He loves things revolving around him on social media. And he’s soaking this in. He’s out, you know, doing the circuit and doing all the interviews.” Klatt also believes that money isn’t the issue for Lane Kiffin’s departure, as Ole Miss could match any offer that LSU or Florida provides. Lane Kiffin deciding to speak on everything but confirming his intentions to stay at just worsens the relationship between him and the Rebels.

Now, the talk in the Ole Miss camp would be about Lane Kiffin’s next destination, which could hurt the team’s psyche in the coming games. Kiffin is expected to meet Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter to discuss terms, which would decide whether Kiffin would stay at Oxford or go to LSU or Florida. If he indeed leaves Ole Miss, it won’t be the first time that Lane Kiffin has been involved in a controversial team exit.

Lane Kiffin’s controversial history as a head coach

History repeats itself, and Lane Kiffin seems fully prepared to prove it again. If he chooses to leave the Rebels, it will add yet another chapter to his long list of dramatic exits. Paul Finebaum has always been critical of Kiffin’s personality, even calling him the “Miley Cyrus of college football,” claiming Kiffin has little talent but is impossible to ignore.

Finebaum’s comment stems from Kiffin’s track record of abruptly leaving programs, most notably in 2009 when he left Tennessee for USC after just 14 months, triggering protests and accusations of betrayal. His time at USC also ended poorly. He was famously fired at Los Angeles International Airport tarmac after their 62–41 blowout loss to Arizona State.

Kiffin then served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016 under Nick Saban. That stint also ended in controversy, as Saban dismissed him just before the national championship game. Kiffin had already accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic, and Saban felt the distraction was hurting Alabama’s preparation.

Historically, Kiffin has jumped ship whenever he felt the moment was right. Now, with a 10–1 record and the Rebels emerging as one of the SEC’s top playoff contenders, he once again appears poised to repeat history and possibly leave Ole Miss behind.