Lane Kiffin to Florida rumors: CFB insider drops his opinion on Ole Miss HC's potential relocation after Billy Napier's rocky start
Ole Miss has started one of the most anticipated seasons in its history with Lane Kiffin as the coach. However, Kiffin is rumored to take the head coaching job in Florida which may open soon. College football analyst Josh Pate did not hold back in sharing his opinion on whether Kiffin would go to Florida if offered the position. He said on Wednesday's episode of "Crain and Company,"
"In a heartbeat, Lane Kiffin would walk to Florida if they would give him a job," Pate said. "I've got Ole Miss people in my very close social circle and they fight me on this. They're like 'What can you do at Florida that you can't do at Ole Miss?' Win a National Championship is what you can do there."
However, while Pate believes Kiffin would go to Florida if given the opportunity, the job is not available at this time. Billy Napier is still the coach of the Florida Gators and while there are rumors that he could be fired, that has not happened.
Why would Lane Kiffin leave Ole Miss to go to Florida?
Lane Kiffin has had a successful college football coaching career, especially since he arrived at Ole Miss. In 2023, he led the Rebels to their first 11-win season in school history. Early in this season, Ole Miss is the No. 5 ranked team in the nation. The team has not been good at sustaining success, so what Lane Kiffin is doing is impressive.
However, coaching at Ole Miss does not carry the prestige of coaching at other big schools. The Rebels do not have the money to compete with other major programs like Florida consistently. They can, but only in short spurts. Pate talked about this issue with the Rebels and said on the same podcast episode:
"Contrary to what people believe about Ole Miss, that is still a build multiple years to a peak kind of program. A window program as I call them. They're not sustained year in and year out. This is not that caliber of program. Florida can be."
So, if the head coaching job opens up in Florida, it will be interesting to see if Kiffin values the short-term success with Ole Miss more than a potentially longer one with Florida.