One name is dominating the h sports scene du jour, and it’s not the name of Pelicans interim coach James Borrego.
.
Lane Kiffin.
Lane Kiffin.
America’s favorite game show is now the Lane Kiffin Watch. Will he stay at Ole Miss? Will he leave for LSU or Florida? to Hawaii to check out the local vibe there, just in case Kiffin scratches an itch to coach the Rainbow Warriors?
Just kidding about Hawaii, but there’s no kidding that the Kiffin obsession has reached a fever pitch at LSU, Ole Miss and Florida. It’s bubbled up to the point that everyone is dissecting every word Kiffin said in a nothing burger of an interview Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN. Same for his answers — or non-answers, or non-denial denials — about his future status at Ole Miss that Kiffin made during 11 squirmy minutes on Wednesday’s SEC coaches teleconference.
It's understandable why Ole Miss wants to keep Kiffin, and why LSU and Florida want to land him. He’s a very good coach and an excellent offensive mind, one who has the Rebels on the verge of their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Whether he will coach Ole Miss in the CFP and next season is the salient question. It’s a decision that has rippling implications for the entire Southeastern Conference and possibly beyond.
But the Kiffin Obsession Syndrome at those three schools and among their fan bases has created a toxic byproduct. One fan base is going to be delighted, but two are going to be devastated and left to feel less-than-worthy about their job vacancies.
And that’s too bad. That’s wrong. Yes, Kiffin will bring a lot of credibility — along with heightened expectations — if he chooses LSU.
But if he doesn’t, LSU fans shouldn’t feel like the program is destined for failure. Far from it.
Kiffin is clearly LSU’s top choice. That’s fine. There isn’t a better available coach in this cycle, and that includes James Franklin who just got hired by Virginia Tech. Kiffin has won at a high level at Ole Miss, bringing that program success it had not experienced since the late 1950s and early 60s under Johnny Vaught.
But if he doesn’t come, LSU fans should not plunge into depths of despair. There are other good coaches out there. And the plain fact of most coaching searches is that the first choice is often not the one who’s hired.
Exhibit A: It’s not football, but Jay Johnson was not LSU’s first choice to be its baseball coach to replace Paul Mainieri. Then-athletic director Scott Woodward first considered Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan, as well as former Oregon State coach Pat Casey, and there was a faction of former LSU players who wanted him to hire Ole Miss coach and former LSU catcher/assistant Mike Bianco. But Johnson, who Woodward said was the best interview he ever had, got the job. The rest is college baseball history.
Exhibit B: In late 2006, Alabama offered its job to Rich Rodriguez. He turned it down, opening the door for the school to pursue and land Nick Saban. The rest is college football history.
Exhibit C: In 2016, Tom Herman chose Texas over LSU, and LSU fandom fell into a serious funk. The school hired Ed Orgeron, appearing to settle for the coach who had his roots in h but was fired at Ole Miss. He was eventually fired at LSU, but not until after he led the Tigers to their greatest season ever in 2019. Herman is out of coaching.
Should LSU hire Kiffin if it can get him? Yes. Do I think LSU will get Kiffin? Yes, in a Lee Corso “Close, close” nod over Florida. I don’t think after all this time leaving Ole Miss to twist in the wind — with a contract extension there that he has yet to sign — that he can stay in Oxford. So my guess is he winds up in Baton Rouge or Gainesville.
But either school can win with someone else. Names we’ve heard that LSU could turn to are Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Tulane’s Jon Sumrall and possibly even Georgia Tech’s Brent Key. Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, despite his pledge to stay at his alma mater, is another name gaining traction with the LSU opening.
Someone will be named the LSU coach, hopefully, sooner than later. If it’s Kiffin, good for LSU. It means it has overcome a lot of off-the-field upheaval to make a major splash.
If LSU hires another coach, it may not win the news conference the way Kiffin would. But the Tigers can still win big on the field.