Heading into potentially his final game with Mississippi, Lane Kiffin is reportedly not going to take the vacant head-coaching position at Florida.
Per Zach Abolverdi of GatorsOnline.com, the Gators are “closing in on other targets” because Kiffin’s “erratic communication” has led officials to think he is more interested in other options.
Pete Thamel of ESPN confirmed the report, noting the Gators have “interviewed roughly a dozen candidates” and are “optimistic about the process.”
In a separate report, Thamel added Tulane’s Jon Sumrall has received “significant interest” from Florida and he’s expected to make a decision about his future on Sunday.
There have been rumblings for some time that Kiffin was going to leave Ole Miss at the end of this season, with Florida and LSU viewed as the two favorites to hire him.
Whatever Kiffin’s decision ends up being, it is expected to be announced after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
Keith Charter, vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics at Mississippi, said in a statement on Nov. 21 that Kiffin is expected to reveal his decision on Saturday.
CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported on Nov. 22 that LSU is prepared to make Kiffin an offer worth up to $98 million over seven years. The $14 million average annual salary would make him the highest-paid coach in the country.
Georgia’s Kirby Smart currently has the highest annual salary among FBS coaches at $13.3 million.
Pete Nakos of On3.com noted Florida was also preparing a lucrative offer to Kiffin worth at least $13 million per season.
Leading up to Mississippi’s game against Florida on Nov. 15, Kiffin said “I ain’t figured all that out” yet when asked about his future plans.
“I don’t know. I’m not that far down the road,” Kiffin said. “I said it last week and you guys think I was joking, or it was before South Carolina. Everybody wants to talk about other jobs and everything and I think you are two or three weeks away from coaching for your own job.”
Mississippi went on to win that game 34-24 over Florida to improve its record to 10-1 this season.
Kiffin has led Ole Miss to three consecutive 10-win seasons and a 54-19 record overall since 2020. The Rebels are currently the No. 7 seed in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Florida has been searching for a new head coach after firing Billy Napier on Oct. 19 following a 3-4 start to the season. The 46-year-old went 22-23 overall in four years with the program.
The Gators (3-8), who have lost their first four games under interim head coach Billy Gonzales, will wrap up the 2025 campaign on Saturday against Florida State.
