The coaching carousel always circles back to Nick Saban. For years, we’ve been promised the “next Nick Saban” from his legendary coaching tree. Kirby Smart actually delivered at Georgia with back-to-back national titles, while others like Jimbo Fisher flamed out spectacularly. But now Stephen A. Smith just went on record saying Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has “the potential to be another Nick Saban.” And it’s worth paying attention to.

Smith dropped that bomb during a discussion about Kiffin’s future on ESPN’s First Take.  “The brothers ain’t trying to come to Oxford, Mississippi, for the most part, compared to Gainesville or Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” Smith said bluntly on air. “Let’s just call it what it is. You look at the job that Lane Kiffin has done at Ole Miss, it’s phenomenal. The man has won 74% of his games over the last six years. Ole Miss is in the picture. They could win a national championship.”

Here’s where Smith dropped the hammer, saying Kiffin has “the potential to be another Nick Saban,” while immediately adding the caveat: “But it ain’t gonna happen at Ole Miss, not for years down the road to come. But Gainesville, at the University of Florida, but Baton Rouge, at Death Valley, LSU, that’s a different animal.”​

The LSU and Florida jobs both opened up recently, and Kiffin’s name instantly became the hottest in coaching searches. Smith is making the argument that Kiffin needs a bigger stage to reach that Saban-level greatness. And the recruiting advantages at LSU or Florida would give him a legitimate shot at competing for national titles every single year. Moreover, let’s not forget Kiffin’s personal preference and the familial connection to the Gators.

Paul Finebaum has echoed similar thoughts, calling LSU “a better job” with “great infrastructure” and saying Kiffin “fits that culture pretty well.” Florida is reportedly preparing a record-breaking offer of around $13.5 million annually, dwarfing his $9 million annual salary. 

But looking at Kiffin’s latest movements, Finebaum has become critical of the Ole Miss HC. “The bottom line is if you want to stay at Old Miss, and I don’t think he wants to, you just say, “Yeah, I’m committed to Old Miss. I got a new contract coming out in a couple of days and and we’ll have a signing ceremony,” Finebaum said while arguing with Smith. 

“But think about this for a second. His family got on a plane on Sunday and then took that plane from Gainesville to Baton Rouge. But this is all going on while Miss is having its best season in about 60 years. And then Lane’s raging about all this stuff going on. I mean, Lane, it’s up to you. If you want to end the speculation, end it right now.”

It has been some confusing months for the Ole Miss administration. Kiffin has been dodging the hard question ever since the positions opened up. But Smith’s point stands. Ole Miss has never won a national championship. And the recruiting challenges of getting elite talent to Oxford are real. Whether Kiffin stays and tries to build something unprecedented in Mississippi, or chases legacy at LSU or Florida, it will define whether he becomes the “next Nick Saban” or just another name on the coaching carousel.​

The Egg Bowl deadline 

So Stephen A. Smith thinks Kiffin needs to leave Oxford to become the next Nick Saban, and Ole Miss apparently got the message loud and clear. Because they’re not about to let this situation drag out all season. Reports broke on November 16 that the school gave Kiffin a deadline to decide his future by November 28, the date of the Egg Bowl rivalry game against Mississippi State. 

Kiffin went on The Pat McAfee Show the next day and denied it. He said “that’s absolutely not true” and claimed there’s been “no ultimatum, anything like that at all.” But ESPN sources confirmed the same day that while Ole Miss officials are stopping short of calling it an “ultimatum,” athletic director Keith Carter is definitely pressing Kiffin and his agent Jimmy Sexton for a resolution, asking for a decision by this past weekend.​

The timing couldn’t be worse for the Rebels, who are 10-1 and staring down their first College Football Playoff berth in school history. Ole Miss has reportedly told Kiffin they’ll match any contract offer from Florida or LSU. But Smith’s whole point is that this isn’t about money. It’s about competing for national titles at a program where elite recruits actually want to go.