Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin discussing ‘next steps’ but focused on Egg Bowl

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Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said after meeting Friday with coach Lane Kiffin and the university’s chancellor that a decision on Kiffin’s future with the school will be made after the Rebels play their final game of the season, their annual rivalry against Mississippi State.

“While we discuss important next steps, we know we cannot lose sight of what is most important — our sixth-ranked team that is poised to finish the regular season in historic fashion,” Carter said in a statement posted on X.

Let’s lock in and focus on keeping the Golden Egg! pic.twitter.com/5xPfDozhl2

— Keith Carter (@KeithCarterOM) November 21, 2025

In the last week, members of Kiffin’s family have been to Baton Rouge and Gainesville as both LSU and Florida court the 50-year-old coach to fill their head coaching vacancies.

Kiffin’s current team is No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings and off this week with a rivalry game against Mississippi State looming on Black Friday. The Rebels (10-1) would be virtually assured of making the 12-team Playoff with a victory, but whether Kiffin will be coaching the team much longer is very much uncertain.

Ole Miss has been working on a contract extension to keep Kiffin in Oxford and make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, and wanted to get this situation resolved before the Egg Bowl. Earlier this week, Ole Miss officials gave Kiffin an ultimatum, pushing him to decide on his future before the team’s next game.

LSU and Florida both fired their coaches in October and are looking to fill those vacancies soon so the new coach can start building next year’s roster. The signing period for high school recruits begins in early December, and the transfer portal opens in early January.

The College Football Playoff kicks off with its first round on Dec. 19-20 and runs through Jan. 19. Schools trying to hire a new coach do not want to wait for potential candidates to play out their seasons to get a decision.

The Rebels have gone 54-19 over six seasons under Kiffin, who is 116-53 as a college coach, including stints at Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic. Kiffin’s coaching career his been tumultuous and drama-filled, dating back to the season-and-a-quarter he spent as head coach of the Raiders. He was hired at 31, went 5-15 and was fired by owner Al Davis, who called Kiffin a “flat-out liar” at the time.

Kiffin also left Tennessee after just one season to become USC’s coach.

Kiffin has been courted by SEC rivals during his Ole Miss tenure before. In 2022, Auburn was interested in hiring Kiffin. While speculation swirled, the Rebels faltered down the stretch of the season, losing four of their last five regular-season games.

Kiffin has led the Rebels to three-straight double digit victory seasons since then, raising his stock as a candidate for other jobs. Florida seemed like the most likely landing spot for him, given his family’s roots in the state. His father, the late Monte Kiffin, spent much of a long coaching career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.