After Gators’ loss to Ole Miss, speculation remains on Kiffin, coaching search
Pulling off Route 278 about an hour south of Memphis, visitors immerse themselves in a world where cowboy boots are mandatory, “Hotty Toddy” is a common greeting and tailgating is an art one strives to master. The Grove — as the commoners call it — serves as a fraternity and sorority haven. TVs, rocking chairs and an array of smoked meat (notably, gator) litter the scene.
It’s a passionate world filled with mystique and ceremonial intrigue, where confetti follows every touchdown. And it has a king, whose are desperate to catch a glimpse of. “I’d do it again,” said Ole Miss student Kennedy Jordan. The man she was looking for, that’s “Coach.”
On this mid-November Saturday, Florida set off into the maze, bearing a different quest than most. As the Gators seek a new coach, Lane Kiffin has become an unprecedented front-runner. The sixth-year Ole Miss coach tweeted about Florida quarterback DJ Lagway being benched a week ago and has openly said he wants to be Steve Spurrier.
But what happened Saturday was anomalous. Rarely has a game felt more like a pitch presentation than Florida’s 34-24 loss in Oxford because no coaching search has ever felt more tied to a specific candidate — and then played that candidate’s current team.
The Gators dripped with optimism, though, as they faced, quite possibly, Ole Miss’ greatest squad ever. Florida was competitive against the playoff-eyeing No. 7 Rebels, despite being only a week removed from a 38-7 shellacking by Kentucky and having lost three of its last four games. If nothing else, the performance seemed to catch Kiffin’s attention. He didn’t soothe many concerns after the game when asked about the possibility of leaving.
“Today was awesome, and I don’t want to talk about that stuff,” Kiffin said, a direct quote from the coach-considering-job handbook. “And, really, even to talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players.”
A similar touch of his seriousness pierced through the whimsical carousing of Ole Miss’ atmosphere. There were the competing signs, some depicting Kiffin stomping on a Gator — a fitting offset to the “Lanesville” setups of Florida fans who conned their way in.
“I would give my second son for him to stay,” Cindy Porter said, patting the child on the back. “Lane’s made this place into something it’s never been before.”
When Kiffin arrived in Oxford in 2020, the Rebels were knee-deep in NCAA sanctions and hadn’t made a bowl since 2015. Under his tutelage, the Rebels have made two New Year’s Six appearances and appear poised for their first College Football Playoff berth. That type of work makes you a folk hero at an SEC afterthought. It also makes you a prime candidate for any waning college football powerhouse.
The Gators have come chomping, along with the likes of LSU, Penn State and Auburn in a historically loaded coaching carousel, creating a situation many mid-majors know too well. How does one navigate watching their best season unfold while harboring the belief that every win may make the future dimmer?
“A lot of drinking,” Ole Miss lifetime fan Harrison Yost said. “No, it’s just a little bit of a catch-22. … You want to keep him. But what can you do? I honestly just want to know his decision.”
Watching a potential suitor nearly upset you doesn’t help, either.
Fans leaned across fences, angling for just a brief moment to entice Kiffin with offers to sell their mansions to him (like he needs them). The “Star Spangled Banner” performer missed a line and had to restart. The forlorn boos rained as Florida ran onto the field. The nerves — like never before — were present.
But as the game started, everything eased when Ole Miss methodically marched down the field, scoring on its first two drives. Though the evening had its challenges. The bubble wrap that once coated Florida’s oft-injured signal caller came off entirely, with Lagway carrying the ball on eight designed attempts, including for his first college rushing touchdown.
The Gators led deep into the third quarter, but Kiffin’s offense, which averages 37.5 points per game, returned to form. Ole Miss scored two late-game touchdowns, each followed by a Tom Petty playing of “Won’t Back Down.”
A multitude of questions remain. Florida’s struggles continued in Oxford, but the land Kiffin governs feels as if its facade of confidence is tearing. Kiffin joked about this being his “last chapter,” about his players entering the portal every week. Yet in an unorthodox situation, he left everything to the future.
In this “utopia,” as he put it, everyone needs to stop asking for reassurance.
“As you get older, everybody always says the good ole’ days,” Kiffin said. “I think we’re in the good ole’ days right now.”