LSU officials have begun their pursuit of Lane Kiffin, and it sounds like the coach is at least entertaining the idea of leaving Ole Miss to join his SEC rival.
According to a report from Wilson Alexander of The Advocate, LSU arranged for a private plane to pick up several members of Kiffin’s family on Monday to bring them to Baton Rouge for a tour of the city. Kiffin is a top target for LSU and has been the focus of the school’s search since the decision was made to fire Brian Kelly.
Alexander’s report meshes with what Matt Moscona of LouisianaSports.net was told, which is that Kiffin’s ex-wife Layla was in Baton Rouge on Monday. Layla was said to be in Gainesville on Sunday, as Florida is also hoping to lure Lane away from Ole Miss.
Kiffin and Layla got divorced in 2016 but have since reconciled and are both living in Oxford. Lane and Layla have three children together — daughters Landry and Presley, who are both in college, and son Knox, who is in high school. Presley is in a relationship with one of LSU’s star players.
Kiffin led Ole Miss to another big win over Florida on Saturday night. The Rebels are 10-1 with only Mississippi State remaining on their regular-season schedule. Ole Miss has an excellent chance of making the College Football Playoff for the first time ever.
Ole Miss will likely do everything they can to keep Kiffin, who is the top head coach target for both LSU and Florida. The 50-year-old is even expected to receive some interest from the NFL.
Kiffin has not explicitly said that he will return to Ole Miss next season. Some fans felt he was deliberately vague with the way he responded to a question about his future after beating Florida. Even if Kiffin does intend to stay at Ole Miss, he would be wise to use the interest from two SEC rivals to secure a new contract. That might be his ultimate goal.
