For some reason, certain media members love to run wild with Lane Kiffin "news" that makes absolutely no sense any time that his team struggles for even a second. And this isn't exclusive just to his time at Ole Miss.

This has happened at virtually every stop since Kiffin's time with the Oakland Raiders and shortly thereafter with the Tennessee Vols. The national media loves to just assume, "Oh, things are starting to get tough so Kiffin must want to leave." That's just nonsense. Especially now, given where the Ole Miss program has asserted themselves in the prime of the NIL era.

Lane Kiffin not leaving Ole Miss for Florida

Following the loss to Kentucky there were a few extra rumors circulating that Lane Kiffin might or "should" leave Ole Miss for Florida. Apparently one loss to a team with a top ten defensive front in the nation means that Ole Miss has "hit their ceiling" and Kiffin should jump ship.

Or at least that's what some journalists are trying to convince the public of this week. A piece from one of USA Today's many sites was just one of many that tried to suggest Lane Kiffin was headed to Florida sooner than later. In fact, Matt Hayes in his column went as far as to call the move "an inevitable marriage".

Great article here by @MattHayesCFB. I hope he’s right about @Lane_Kiffin#GoGators #Florida #UF #CFB25 #espnhttps://t.co/2xnkMGmYKt

— BEAN (@BEANtheMACHINE4) October 4, 2024

Lane Kiffin leaving for Florida is so obviously the furthest thing from an inevitable marriage. Just because Florida's been a hot mess and needs some big name coach to hopefully come fix all their problems doesn't mean Kiffin would have any incentive to even really seriously consider it.

First off, thanks to the wild changes amid the NIL and Transfer Portal era, the window in which Lane Kiffin would even need to make his move would make his life extremely difficult late this fall and into year one for him. The winter transfer window for FBS football begins December 9th and goes until January 7th of 2025.

If Ole Miss has any real shot at making the final playoff field this year ahead of the December 8th College Football Playoff bracket announcement there's no chance he's leaving before then. And even if he did immediately following, that would make his job near impossible in terms of getting a remotely competitive roster pulled together for next season.

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Ole Miss is much more than just fast tempo offense

But beyond how difficult the timing of a Lane Kiffin move to Florida would be this off-season, Florida is not a distinctly better program that Ole Miss is anymore. They were a decade ago. In fact, maybe even five or six years ago Florida would be the clear choice in terms of program status.

Not anymore. Ole Miss has leveled up their NIL outfit to become one of the best in the nation thanks to Walker Jones and "The Grove Collective". What makes them so good? Let's just take a look at what Ole Miss has been able to do in the Transfer Portal over the last three recruiting cycles.

According to 247Sports Lane Kiffin has brought in three straight Top 2 transfer classes in the nation. Just taking a look at this year's roster we can see how impactful that has been. He brought in QB Jaxson Dart from USC, EDGE Princely Umanmielen from Florida, DL Walter Nolen from Texas A&M, CB Trey Amos from Alabama, and WR Juice Wells from South Carolina. Why in the world would Kiffin need to leave Ole Miss for another SEC school when he's already stealing some of their best starters from them?

On top of having one of the best NIL collectives and the absolute best Transfer Portal process in the nation Kiffin's leveled up Ole Miss' freshman recruiting too. Since 2021 Kiffin and Ole Miss have averaged a high school recruiting class ranking of 22nd in FBS football. And they're on pace to do that again or even better for 2025.

In that same span, Napier and Florida have been averaging a high school recruiting class ranking of 15th with transfer classes mostly outside the top ten. And right now they're sitting at 30th for next spring's 2025 class (and likely finish much worse than that). If Florida had a recruiting edge on Ole Miss and their collective it's all but completely gone now.

Since Urban Meyer left, Florida has now swiftly gone through four head coaches. Not a single one lasting more than four seasons. Expectations in Gainesville are stuck in the Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer eras, and since those years of prosperity college football has changed greatly. Why leave Ole Miss for that?

Kiffin can get exactly who he wants in the Transfer Portal, do exactly what he wants with hiring and schematic implementation, all while having much lower pressure from fans or (loud) boosters who aren't stuck in a rut yearning for the peaks of the far distant past.

So, is Florida really in better shape for Lane Kiffin to win at the highest levels now, let alone ever? The answer seems like a pretty obvious "no" at this point.

So, what does that mean for Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss, and Florida? It's simple. Journalists need to shut up about it, other than to say that it certainly isn't happening. Quit adding fuel to the speculation on something that makes no sense from the start. And fans? They can just watch the football games that are happening right now, enjoying the ride with Ole Miss who is still very much in the playoff picture if they play well down the stretch.

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