How Lane Kiffin could still be in a position to leave Ole Miss for another major college job this offseason
At the end of the regular season, it appeared that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was heading to Auburn. But when a report from a Mississippi television reporter dropped a couple of days before the Egg Bowl, it possibly messed up any chance of Kiffin going to Auburn. We have no idea how much […]
At the end of the regular season, it appeared that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was heading to Auburn.
But when a report from a Mississippi television reporter dropped a couple of days before the Egg Bowl, it possibly messed up any chance of Kiffin going to Auburn.
We have no idea how much truth there was in Sokoloff's report. Kiffin denied it, but that was expected.
The feeling all season was that Kiffin was growing disillusioned with the Rebels' NIL efforts. At times, it's felt like that's all Kiffin talked about this season.
Because of all the NIL comments and complaints from Kiffin, folks have assumed he wants to go to a bigger program that has significantly more cash geared toward NIL deals.
The Auburn job was the only job this offseason that made sense for Kiffin in that aspect. But when that fell through (or whatever happened with that situation), it made sense for Kiffin to stay at Ole Miss (which is what I thought he should do anyway).
There's still a chance, however, that Kiffin leaves town this offseason. And it all depends on what happens at Michigan.
The Denver Broncos are reportedly targeting Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh to be their next head coach (or they're at least interested in hiring him). Harbaugh, who just saw his Wolverines lose to TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinals, was previously the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
If Harbaugh is offered the job, I think he'll take it in a quick minute. He famously tried to return to the NFL last season, but he didn't get an offer after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings. After falling short with one of the best teams he's had at Michigan, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him return to the NFL.
If that's what happens, I could see Michigan turning toward Kiffin.
And I think Kiffin would be very interested.
A recent report from AL.com suggested that Kiffin "tends to get bored easily" (per an acquaintance of Kiffin's).
Based on his employment history, that quote checks out.
Kiffin has never stayed in one place as a head coach for longer than three seasons. And he hasn't stayed in one place for longer than three years in general since he was an assistant at USC under Pete Carroll.
The former Tennessee Vols head coach had a lot of momentum entering the 2022 season. After winning 10 games in 2021, Kiffin and Ole Miss got off to a 7-0 start in 2022. The Rebels then proceeded to lose five of their final six games.
Kiffin's momentum slowed essentially when Auburn fired Bryan Harsin. It's like Kiffin saw that opportunity and his attention went there instead of with his team. If that's what really happened, then I think it's very likely that he'd be interested in the Michigan job.
Now, I think it's worth noting that Kiffin would prefer to be in the SEC. But this season showed that other conferences are just as capable of reaching the playoff. In fact, it felt like the playing field has been leveled a bit. Michigan is one of the most storied programs in all of college football. If Kiffin was going to leave the SEC for a major job, Michigan would be a good choice.
Of course, who knows if Michigan would really want Kiffin after he stumbled his way to an 8-5 finish this season. They might have their sights set higher, though I don't know who they would target. Iowa State's Matt Campbell could be an option, but he could be a tough sell in Ann Arbor after coming off a 4-8 season.
It'll be interesting to see if Kiffin gets involved with the Michigan search in the event that Harbaugh leaves for the NFL. Considering Kiffin's past, I think there's a pretty decent chance he has some thoughts about leaving Ole Miss for Michigan.
Featured image via Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
