By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin is either still making up his mind about his future, or he has decided to leave Ole Miss for LSU or Florida, and is looking back fondly as he prepares to say goodbye later this week.
That was the feeling after watching his weekly press conference Monday. That and how much he would like to coach the Rebels in the playoffs – either way possibly.
The No. 6 Rebels (10-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) close their regular season at Mississippi State (5-6, 1-7 SEC) on Friday (11 a.m., ABC) – in what could be Black Friday for Ole Miss fans in more ways than Christmas shopping. A win would likely give the Rebels a chance to host a game in the 12-team College Football Playoffs in December.
It all appears to be happening so far so good for Lane Kiffin to LSU, but not done yet.
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 21, 2025
“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of other questions, but we’re going to answer questions just focused on the game or the season and the players,” Kiffin said during his opening to his weekly press conference on Monday.
But the questions about his immediate future kept coming.
He was asked about Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter saying last Friday that he expected to get a decision from Kiffin on Saturday (the day after Ole Miss plays Mississippi State) about his future – either remaining at Ole Miss or leaving to take the job at LSU or Florida.
“Very fair question,” he said. “But we’re not answering anything that doesn’t have to do with the game, the team, the season. But fair question.”
Lane Train appears bound for LSU, but he’s not in the station just yet. Meanwhile, Ole Miss “deadline” for Kiffin’s decision extended.https://t.co/JVhoeTpHgF
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 21, 2025
He was asked if there was anything he would do differently over the last two weeks concerning LSU and Florida courting him and the noise it has created.
“You say that, but people said the same thing before the Florida game,” Kiffin said of a 34-24 win over Florida on Nov. 15. “How there were all these distractions and how could the team focus? Well, they played pretty well. I don’t have anything more to say about that. I think our team’s been very focused.”
In a reboot of “The Bachelor” next Saturday night, who will Lane Kiffin select? #LSU, #Florida or #OleMiss?Column:https://t.co/j2Y4DABkzu
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) November 22, 2025
Then Kiffin was asked what is going into his decision process.
“Very fair question,” he said. “But I’m not getting into it. I’m going to keep this to the team.”
When asked how important it is to him to finish out this season with a win so Ole Miss could host a College Football Playoff game, he said, “Very important. I’ve never thought of anything different with that.”
Ole Miss officials, though, do not want Kiffin coaching the team in the playoffs, if he is not coming back next season as the Ole Miss coach.
When the prospect of Oxford and Ole Miss hosting a playoff game was broached more, Kiffin sounded like he really wants to coach Ole Miss in the postseason.
“Well, that would be huge,” he said. “Some people said it would be the biggest sporting event in the history of the state of Mississippi. That’s a pretty big statement. I actually asked Keith (Carter) that the other day, and he said that would be true. That would be amazing. Got to get to 1-0 first, though. It would be amazing to have a ninth home game.”
Unless he has to watch it on television.
When asked if his decision has been made yet, and he’s just waiting to announce it, or if he is still considering his options, Kiffin said, “I mean you can keep going, but I’m not going to answer. So, that’s three of them. Got another one?”
Kiffin’s best answer around the Elephant In The Room question came when he was asked if he had reflected on his past many coaching changes, which include firings with the Oakland Raiders and USC as a head coach and leaving the head coaching job at Tennessee for USC after one season and leaving Florida Atlantic after three seasons for Ole Miss.
“Over the years of the changes that I’ve made, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on things that have happened,” he began. “And I really feel like in age I figured out that they all happened exactly how they were supposed to happen and when they were supposed to happen. I just didn’t think it at the time. They’re just all part of my story.”
Kiffin’s story at Ole Miss is one of great success whether he leaves or stays. The Rebels are 49-14 overall (.777 winning percentage) and 27-12 (.692) in the SEC since Kiffin’s second season in 2021. That is Ole Miss’ best five-year span in football since it went 48-5-1 (.888) and 25-5 (.833) from 1958-62 with two SEC titles and the 1960 national championship (Football Writers Association of America) under coach Johnny Vaught.
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