Just as Ole Miss capped a historic 11-1 season, their College Football Playoff hopes were thrown into chaos by the shocking departure of head coach Lane Kiffin. NFL legend and Ole Miss alum Eli Manning recently spoke to SiriusXM, praising the Rebels’ exceptional performance. Manning believes the team is absolutely “deserving” of a playoff spot.

“It’s a neat experience now that colleges get to host a playoff game, kind of part of this system in December. So it’ll definitely be one I’ve marked on the calendar and want to get to. Hopefully, that is the case, and Ole Miss can make the playoffs. They’re very deserving of doing that.” He said.

Manning has credited the players and interim coach Pete Golding for keeping the momentum going. 

However, regardless of what Manning believes, the coaching change could introduce a layer of controversy into the College Football Playoff committee’s deliberations. We can understand this by referring to the contentious decision by the committee to exclude an undefeated Florida State team after starting quarterback Jordan Travis was sidelined for the season. The committee argued that the loss of a key player fundamentally changed the team’s composition and performance outlook. 

The question now looms: will the abrupt absence of Lane Kiffin, the team’s leader, be viewed similarly? The entire college football world will be watching with bated breath to see if the committee ultimately agrees with Eli Manning’s assessment. We’ll know by Tuesday night if Ole Miss will earn their coveted spot in the playoff.

Eli Manning responds to head coach speculation

As the head coach of the Rebels, Kiffin was making an annual salary of about $9 million as the team headed into the 2025 season. His abrupt departure put the head coach’s position vacant, and as the head coaching job opened up, fans and media reports immediately started guessing who might replace Kiffin. One very exciting name that popped up was Ole Miss legend Eli Manning.

Manning played quarterback for the Rebels from 1999 to 2003, leaving a powerful legacy with over 10,119 passing yards and 81 touchdowns. He won major honors like the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and had his No. 10 jersey retired by the school before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Eli Manning saw the rumors and played along with a clever tweet that said, 

“’Coach Manning’ has a nice ring to it.” 

It was a fun and witty way to acknowledge the buzz. While the idea of Manning returning as coach is a dream for many fans, he simply doesn’t have any coaching experience right now, so a head coaching job isn’t likely for him anytime soon.

To keep the team focused on the playoffs, Ole Miss quickly made a key move: they promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the role of permanent head coach. Golding has been a major part of the Rebels’ success, especially leading their strong defense. 

The school and players are excited for Golding to take over right away to guide them into the next era, starting with their historic run for a national title.