Pat McAfee Urges Lane Kiffin to Stay in Oxford
Pat McAfee recently expressed his desire for Lane Kiffin to remain as the head coach at Ole Miss. This comes amidst various rumors suggesting that Kiffin might be considering a move to more prominent programs like LSU or Florida.
“If Lane Kiffin is listening, I’d just say… Brother, you should really take a moment to appreciate where you are,” McAfee shared on ESPN’s “College Gameday” during the weekend. “It’s totally okay to be in a place and find great success. You can actually build that place from the ground up and become a legend there. I think a lot of coaches feel this pressure, like, ‘I need to take this position. I have to go for this job.’
Kiffin has been at the helm of Ole Miss since 2020, boasting an impressive 54-19 record over six seasons. Currently, the Rebels sit at 10 wins and 1 loss this year, and they are seen as strong contenders for the national championship.
But the landscape is changing quickly, with several high-profile coaching vacancies opening up. Kiffin has emerged as a hot commodity in the coaching market.
McAfee compared Kiffin’s situation to that of his former coach at West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez, who left the Mountaineers for Michigan State, a move that didn’t quite pan out as expected.
“Rich Rod went to Michigan,” McAfee recalled. “He ended up coming back to West Virginia. If he had stayed, he probably would have had a university named after him.”
Recent reports from Yahoo Sports indicated that officials at LSU are negotiating a lucrative seven-year, $90 million deal, potentially making Kiffin the highest-paid coach in the NCAA.
On the same day, Kiffin was said to have met with other Ole Miss coaches, but any news on his future is likely to remain under wraps until after the Nov. 28 Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
Keith Carter, the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, mentioned, “Coach Kiffin and I have had some insightful discussions about his future here at Ole Miss, including conversations today with President Boyce. While we’re evaluating next steps, we must keep our focus on what really matters: a sixth-place team poised to finish the regular season on a high note.”
Eager to quell speculation, Kiffin addressed the rumors earlier in the week during the SEC’s weekly conference call. He stated, “I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been doing for six years. I’m not discussing other jobs or situations.”
When pressed by a reporter about his future, Kiffin replied with some confusion, “Do you know something I don’t? Am I set to coach next week? Why wouldn’t I be coaching next week? I even planned to coach against Florida. So, I really don’t understand why anyone would doubt that.”
