Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is expected to be one of the Florida Gators’ top targets to replace Billy Napier as the program’s new head coach.

Napier was fired on Sunday — a day after Florida beat Mississippi State — after going 22-23 during his nearly four seasons leading the program.

Kiffin, who recently admitted that former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier is one of his biggest influences, is one of the top coaches in college football. The former Tennessee Vols head coach is 50-19 since taking over at Ole Miss ahead of the 2020 season. That includes several of the best seasons in Ole Miss football history.

College football insider details the obstacle that could prevent Lane Kiffin from leaving Ole Miss for Florida

Kiffin to Florida seemingly makes a lot of sense. Florida is one of the biggest brands in the SEC, and Kiffin seems like a natural fit considering some of his similarities to Spurrier, along with his success in the conference.

But there’s one big obstacle that could prevent Kiffin from being a legitimate option for the Gators.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman pointed out that the timing of the College Football Playoff could impact Kiffin’s candidacy.

“Lane Kiffin will evoke memories of Florida legend Steve Spurrier with his brash personality,” wrote Feldman. “Spurrier had his quips come out of his mouth as opposed to Kiffin, who seems to be at his best on social media. But Kiffin has done an excellent job reinventing himself since coaching at FAU, where he won two conference titles. The 50-year-old has, along with his extended family, settled in nicely in Oxford. His Rebels have finished in the top 11 in three of the past four seasons. They’re 6-1 this year with a legitimate shot to make the Playoff, which could muck up the timing if he is interested in this job.”

As Feldman notes, Ole Miss is a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. And that could make this tricky for Florida if Kiffin emerges as their No. 1 target.

If the Rebels reach the playoff, I can’t see Kiffin entertaining the Florida job while also trying to prepare Ole Miss for a postseason game. Kiffin has been through something like this before when the Auburn job was open in late 2022. At one point, it looked like Kiffin was going to leave Ole Miss for Auburn. The Rebels lost their last four games of the 2022 season amid the Kiffin-to-Auburn rumors.

After seeing how that distraction impacted the Ole Miss program, it seems doubtful that Kiffin would go down that road again with a national championship on the line.

The timing may just not work out for Florida to hire Kiffin. The early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class is Dec. 3-5. Then there’s the winter transfer portal window that opens on Jan. 2 — Florida will certainly need to have a coach in place by then. Otherwise, the Gators’ roster could be in rough shape next fall, depending on how things shake out.

The first round of the College Football Playoff is scheduled for Dec. 19-20. The quarterfinals will be played Dec. 31-January 1, then the semifinals will be played Jan. 8-9. The national championship is set for Jan. 19.

Ole Miss will probably need to miss the playoff for the Gators to have a real shot at hiring Kiffin. It’s still doable if Ole Miss reaches the playoff, but only if the Rebels lose in the first round (maybe it could still work out if Ole Miss loses in the quarterfinals on Dec. 31/Jan. 1, but that timing could still make it tough to pull off).

Of course, there’s also the question of whether or not Kiffin wants to leave Oxford for Gainesville. There are plenty of good arguments that can be made for Kiffin staying or leaving, but none of those arguments matter. All that matters is what Kiffin feels is right for his career and personal life.

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