As the coaching carousel started spinning, a lot of college football fans and insiders started wondering if Lane Kiffin might jump aboard.
Kiffin turned the Ole Miss Rebels into a national power this season, finishing 10-2 and getting ready to play in the Sugar Bowl. It looked like he might be out of the running for any other jobs when Ole Miss gave him a contract extension, but Kiffin’s reputation for job jumping precedes him.
When Mario Cristobal left the Oregon Ducks to become the head coach at Miami, Kiffin’s name surfaced as a potential candidate. He’s from the West Coast and many wondered if he’d want to head back in that direction for a major program. Multiple insiders tagged him as a name to watch.
Those rumors briefly heated up Wednesday night when Jon Wilner tweeted that he’d heard from two “Pac-12” sources that Nike founder and Oregon alum Phil Knight was personally interested in seeing Kiffin come to town.
Have heard from two Pac-12 sources that Phil Knight is interested in the Lane Train. Don't know if anything will come of it but an interesting slice of the search https://t.co/cL4gvPkL3g
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) December 9, 2021
However, the kibosh was put on those rumors soon after by John Canzano, who is very connected when it comes to Oregon. So when he says that Lane is “not in the mix” for the job, you can probably assume that’s true.
Lane Kiffin “not in the mix” for Oregon football vacancy, per source.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 9, 2021
Kiffin, meanwhile, appears to be on the recruiting trail out in Georgia. And while it sounds like he’s not going to be heading west anytime soon, the whole thing certainly got people talking on social media.
So much for the Lane Train in Lane County.
Dreams die hard https://t.co/kSdFu4188l
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) December 9, 2021
Kiffin didn’t really make sense. https://t.co/iBoVjsh8zn
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) December 9, 2021
Thing I learned in this coaching carousel: The thirst for fans to see Lane Kiffin at a bigger school than Ole Miss, is a lot bigger than the thirst of ADs to make it happen.
LSU, Florida, Miami and now Oregon seemingly showing no interest in hiring him 🤷♂️ https://t.co/wgrw8KNzWl
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) December 9, 2021
Sources: Lane Kiffin is under consideration to join the moderator team at /r/CFB.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 9, 2021
It was fun while it lasted. And besides, given Kiffin’s reputation and penchant for making noise, we may all be right back here next year to do it again.
