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Lane Kiffin’s decision between staying at a College Football Playoff-bound Ole Miss team or leaving for LSU looms over an action-packed rivalry Saturday.
Kiffin’s Rebels finished a 11-1 regular season with a 38-19 win in the Egg Bowl yesterday and are a near-lock to make the Playoff, per our projections. He said after the game that he had not yet made a decision on his future and would finalize his choice by today. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported this morning that LSU remains confident Kiffin will depart for Baton Rouge.
Follow the latest updates and analysis from The Athletic’s college football insiders below! What do you think Kiffin should do? Email us at live@theathletic.com, and we will include the best submissions we receive.
Go here for The Athletic’s live reaction to Ohio State vs. Michigan.
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LSU ‘very confident’ that Lane Kiffin will be coaching the Tigers next season
Theodore K.: If I am the LSU AD, if Alabama beats Auburn and no word from Kiffin, I would be calling John Sumrall and waking him up. Cheaper contract, LSU has the infrastructure to surround him with the best staff money can buy. Let Kiffin coach in the CFP and wait until the Bama job opens up. It's Kiffin's dream job after all.
Amarette S.: Update. I’m reading some of your comments. Do folks not realize that the Ole Miss boosters have already guaranteed to match anything LSU promises? Money is not the issue. That’s just silly. Folks here care too much about finally getting a championship. And they have money. That’s not the obstacle.
Nick L.: We’re watching the grief process play out with Ole Miss fans in front of our eyes. They’re currently on “Anger.”
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com.
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Clayton W.: Lane Kiffin is clearly playing games at this point. Whether he stays or he goes, he must have had a decision over a week ago, and at this point is either playing negotiations for more money or is just looking for attention. It’s honestly pretty embarrassing all considered.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
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Chase S.: If Kiffin stayed at Ole Miss, he could create a legacy never before seen. He’d be a legend forever. The whole town would be behind him, along with a power fanbase.
Amarette S.: As an alumnus who roughed through the Orgeron, Nutt, and Freeze. I was at every game. Because I was in the marching band. Don’t do the math. Yes, I was a fifth-year senior. But the point I want to make is this. Why would my Alma mater be significantly worse than any other SEC school for recruitment and championship status? It’s just luck. We, Mississippi, have more NFL players than any other state. We don’t have a shortage of talent locally. We’re growing our reputation nationally. We’re so close already. I think if Lane moves now, it will be because he has an adhd moment. Finish the job here at a minimum. Ole Miss is so desperate that he could have had some years in between. But he won’t. LSU or any other school, he’d be fired after three losses. Which would happen because he doesn’t have time to grow.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Henry L.: What’s even the incentive for Lane Kiffin to leave? He’s clearly built an annual threat in the SEC. LSU is gonna be handicapped by the Brian Kelly buyout. I don’t think LSU is some clear upgrade.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Tom L.: Lane Kiffin will go to LSU. Not for the money or the recruiting, but because it's the only school that will give him a chance to fistfight a sitting governor. You're telling me he passes that opportunity up?
Rob N.: Mr. Kiffin should pull a Ted Lasso and stay where he is. He will be hailed as a loyal guy (who knew?) and will gain a new-found respect throughout the college football universe. All he needs to do is take a long look at how things are going in Oregon.
Peace of mind and success are good things. I hope Coach Kiffin stays put and succeeds wildly, on and off the field.
Colin C.: As a recent FSU grad who just got to Ole Miss for law school, this is just salt in the wound. I can watch my team go undefeated and miss the Playoff, then watch my other team go 11-1 in a historic season and still lose our coach. College football is all pain. There’s no upside for him to leave but money. I really don’t understand it.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com.
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Karen H.: Wherever he goes or if he stays, he'll never be able to beat Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. The national championship will remain in the Big Ten.
Natasha H.: Lane has it made in Oxford. A loyal following of very supportive fans, a team that genuinely trusts and respects him, and a real secure future. Leaving that for a three-year deadline at LSU just seems really risky and, from a business perspective, irresponsible on his part.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com.
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Hayes C.: What if Lane Kiffin really is being disloyal to Ole Miss? What if he’s only planning to stay if Ole Miss is to make the Playoff or reach the SEC championship, and he’s just keeping fans hanging until he knows how the season ends? But what if there’s another side to it — one that actually deserves respect? What if he’s waiting until the very last minute on purpose, just so he can make a statement by choosing Ole Miss when it matters most? And what if he’s trying to send a message to the whole college football world that other teams shouldn’t be able to hire or talk to coaches in the middle of the season? If that’s what he’s doing, then what if this whole situation isn’t about being unloyal at all, but about protecting the game and standing up for something bigger?
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Cole H.: Don’t be surprised if, should Kiffin stay put, Dan Lanning is LSU’s next target — so long as Vince Lombardi, Andy Reid and Moses say no.
Courtney L.: Kiffin shocks everyone by taking the Penn State job.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
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From Kai H.: Lane Kiffin will lose a lot of respect from the college football community if he leaves, but is it worth it for almost $100 million? I think not. He has the chance at Ole Miss to win a national championship and add to his legacy.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Adam A.: Hey, I'm an LSU fan since I was 7, but what if this is all some hype just for it to be a plot twist to go to Florida? It would be really funny, but also the other two colleges would be in trouble!
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Austin M.: Graduated from pharmacy school at Ole Miss. Just go. We are tired of the circus. At least Freeze kept his childishness from the media.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com.
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Cole C.: If Kiffin was really focused on his Playoff team, he would sign the Ole Miss extension. All of these distractions would have been halted if he were actually going to focus on Ole Miss. Also, he has lost so much respect from Ole Miss people. He needs to just go. No matter if he decides to stay at Ole Miss, he needs to go.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
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Jai R.: It’s gotta be LSU. It isn’t about his salary, it’s about the players’. LSU has recruitment money. Building a team through the portal each and every year is unpredictable and unsustainable. Unlike Ole Miss, LSU doesn’t have to do that.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
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Carson G.: I see the argument for Kiffin staying, but let’s be real, Kiffin wants that bag, and that belongs in Baton Rouge.
The only factor I could see going against LSU is that Kiffin might want to stay and build history at Ole Miss and be its Kirby Smart or Nick Saban.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
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Ben R.: BREAKING: After Ole Miss and LSU grew frustrated waiting, Lane Kiffin has announced he has accepted the position of head coach for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, ending weeks of speculation on the future of the sought-after coach.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Vanessa G.: Eli Drinkwiitz has the right idea. Stay and build not just a program, but a dynasty of sorts. There's something to be said for stability, and in the long run, for stability and good coaching that will result in a better team, a better record. Once you reach a salary of "more than enough," it's not really about money anymore; it's about values. Lane Kiffin should make it the Kiffin era at Ole Miss.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
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David C.: Who in the world would enter the mess that is LSU football? Bizarre. Coach Kiffin should stay in Oxford, especially with the impending implementation of the player payment caps dictated by the House settlement. He is good enough to win championships at Ole Miss, and he can do it!
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Mark B.: At this point, it seems clear that he really doesn't want to stay. If I were Ole Miss, I would just move on from him. It isn't worth all of this drama, and as others have said, this could be an annual thing, and I wouldn't put my team and community through that, no matter how much he might win.
Want to share your thoughts on the decision Kiffin faces? Email us at live@theathletic.com
Note: Submitted answers have been edited for clarity and length.
