PALMER: Entire conference eyeing Kiffin’s decision

By Hunt Palmer

The next 72 hours will help shape the next 10 years of SEC football.

Lane Kiffin’s decision directly affects three programs, and others around the league will take an interest.

Hate him or love him, Kiffin has established himself as one of the top coaches in college football. He’s won 49 games over the last five seasons at Ole Miss. Saturday’s win in front of the largest crowd in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium’s history raised the Rebels’ tally to 10 wins for the fourth time in five seasons. Prior to his arrival, Ole Miss had reached 10 wins three times since 1963—56 years.

Some coaches ride one core or one quarterback through a golden era. Kiffin has turned the roster over almost annually and won 10 games with Matt Corral, Jaxson Dart and now Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss. This season’s Rebel roster did it without eight 2025 NFL Draft picks, the most in school history since the move to seven rounds.

Simply put, Kiffin has done things at Ole Miss that have never been done in terms of wins, talent acquisition, interest and engagement. The College Football Playoff is next on that list, and Kiffin now has to decide if he wants to stick around for it.

Ole Miss has a fantastic athletic director in Keith Carter. The Grove Collective is excellently run. The Manning Center, a first class football facility, cost $45 million and was completed two years ago.

Kiffin’s potential departure doesn’t crater the entire operation, but he’s been the most important cog for six years. Replacing that is an intimidating thought to even the most die-hard Rebel.

Then there’s Florida and LSU.

Prior to the early 90s, Florida had never won an SEC title. Then a brash, visor-wearing offensive genius showed up and won six in 10 years. Not Kiffin, but he was sure watching. Since Steve Spurrier roamed the sideline of the field that bears his name, Kiffin has taken interest in the Gators’ job.

Only two coaches have truly turned Florida into a force, but when they did it was as powerful as any in the country. Kiffin features a lot of traits Spurrier and Urban Meyer did, but their offensive prowess is the most obvious. And it’s coveted by Florida.

In the time Kiffin has ripped off 49 wins at Ole Miss, Florida has won 28. Arkansas has won 29. Kentucky has won 33. Florida is generally considered one of the SEC’s power programs. It’s been anything but.

LSU’s last 25 years read like a bedside EKG machine. Always moving forward and spiking every so often. Where some schools have been dependent on a single coach to define eras, Nick Saban, Les Miles and Ed Orgeron all brought national titles to Baton Rouge.

Brian Kelly’s brief run was far from a disaster but never spiked. Kiffin may have lingering doubt about his ability to spike at Ole Miss. A cogent argument can be made he’s right in the middle of it. But does he think this Rebel roster can stand toe to toe with Ohio State in January? Three quarters of work at Georgia last month would suggest it’s possible, but LSU’s best teams certainly can.

As stable as Kiffin has made winning in Oxford, it stands to reason he could replicate it and perhaps acquire just a little more talent at LSU than he did at Ole Miss. Coaches sustain programs. Players win championships.

And if Kiffin were to leave Ole Miss for LSU, he would come off LSU’s schedule every year in the process. The Tigers haven’t won in Oxford since Kiffin showed up, and after winning nine of 11 in the series, the last six have been split.

Beyond that, don’t you think Texas A&M is aware of what could be coming to Baton Rouge? After the last two seasons, do you think Georgia would rather see Kiffin or Billy Napier in Gainesville? Conversely, isn’t the Mississippi State fanbase hopeful for a departure?

Optimism will abound in Oxford, Gainesville and Baton Rouge in August. Kiffin will lead one program. At Florida or LSU, he’ll be anointed the next great thing. At Ole Miss, they’d say he finally loves them back. The other two will champion their next coach either way. But all three programs know deep down that Kiffin is their preferred future.

Kiffin’s offenses and overall track record at Ole Miss strongly suggest he’s a top five coach in the country. With the keys to any of those programs for 10 years, it would be hard to bet against excellence.

The NFL could come calling down the road for Kiffin. LSU just hired and fired a coach with a stellar track record. Florida tried this with a different visor-wearing winner from Mississippi and tossed him aside after four years.

Almost nothing in college coaching is certain. Will Kiffin’s decision shake the fabric of the SEC?

Certainly.