ESPN’s Molly McGrath reveals the one reason why Lane Kiffin will be the next Florida Gators head coach

It really isn’t about the money for Lane Kiffin.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium.
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The head coaching search for the Florida Gators is going to be one of the most important ones across the nation.

Firing Billy Napier was an important move, as the success on Saturdays never materialized with a record of 22-23, along with being 0-14 on the road against ranked teams. He did build the infrastructure back up in Gainesville, but the wins have to come at some point, and they never did for Napier.

The number one target for the Gators from the fanbase is Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. He has been linked to this job multiple times, including modeling himself to Steve Spurrier.

Molly McGrath reveals why Lane Kiffin loves Florida

News broke about Napier’s firing on Sunday, and Kiffin was immediately linked to the job for obvious reasons. Those have been the talk of the college football world, and he’s going to take a different approach with his team because of it, according to ESPN’s Molly McGrath.

“[Lane] told me he usually doesn’t address those kind of coaching rumors in season, because there’s so much more football to play and there’s so many bigger things to focus on, but he’s actually going to do things differently today in their team meeting,” said McGrath on ESPN’s Sports Center. “He is going to address those rumors with his players. He’s going to talk to them about it and say, ‘Hey, this is what happens when you win.’”

It’s smart to get out in front of it, as something like this could crater their chances to make the College Football Playoff. Even after he talks to his team, the next part of McGrath’s quote gives us the reason why he will choose Gainesville.

“He told me ‘I’m never going to make decisions based on money. I’m going to make decisions based on everyday happiness.’ And you can tell he’s really trying to prioritize his family and his kids in this one,” said McGrath. “But I will say, Kiffin really idolizes Gators former legendary coach Steve Spurrier, and when I covered Ole Miss’ game at Florida last year, Kiffin pulled me aside and said, ‘This is a really special place for me and for my family. It’s where he had his first date with his children’s mother.’ So this is a nostalgic place for the Kiffin family, so perhaps that will play a role into it.”

When you piece together the fact that Kiffin has The Swamp as a special place for him and his family along with idolizing Spurrier, that fits in with the fact that he’s trying to prioritize his family and kids. It doesn’t mean that he’s for sure going to take the job in Gainesville, but it certainly will be something we look back on if he takes the job.

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