Oct 23, 2021; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin before the game against the LSU Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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.

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.

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.

[John Canzano]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.