Copyright Essentially Sports
Lane Kiffin’s name is plastered all over the college football coaching carousel right now, and it makes sense why. He’s got Ole Miss sitting at 8-1 with a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff. At Oxford, Lane has built one of the best collective situations in the sport, and everybody is calling him the top target for both LSU and Florida. But ESPN’s Matt Barrie is trying to offer a reality check to the Ole Miss head coach. Not about his abilities, but the programs that are after him. Just because Kiffin can have the LSU job doesn’t mean he should take it. “The one thing that I hear from everyone in connection with what’s going on in Oxford,” Barrie explained, “is that they leave Lane alone. They let him do his coaching. They give him the money for NIL. He’s got Ole Miss in the playoff.” Barrie’s point is crystal clear. At Ole Miss, Lane gets to be Lane. The administration doesn’t meddle. They stay out of his way. And that freedom is the lifeblood of what he’s built down there. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Now flip the script and think about what happens if Kiffin ends up in Baton Rouge. “You go to Florida or you go to LSU, I don’t think they’re going to leave you alone the way that they do in Oxford,” Barrie said bluntly. LSU’s situation is already a mess. Brian Kelly got fired, Scott Woodward got pushed out, and now the governor is involved in the coaching search. That’s not an environment that screams, ‘leave the coach alone to do his thing.’ Even Paul Finebaum jumped in to validate the point. “Everyone in Oxford is saying we don’t bother Lane. I mean, they’re afraid of Lane. A little bit Saban-esque.” ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The Tigers might be offering a historic program and SEC prestige. However, if the boosters and administration are going to be looking over Kiffin’s shoulder and meddling in his business the way they have historically done, Barrie’s argument becomes impossible to ignore. Sometimes the dream job on paper isn’t the dream job in reality.
