Cam Newton: Lane Kiffin should stay at Ole Miss, blaze his own trail instead of bolting for LSU

Brian Kelly has been fired by LSU, leaving another coveted SEC coaching job vacant after Billy Napier was fired at Florida. Many have pinpointed Ole Miss leader Lane Kiffin as the top choice for both programs.

Cam Newton doesn’t believe Kiffin should make the move though. Despite LSU and Florida being premier destinations, the former Auburn star thinks Kiffin should stay at Ole Miss and build the Rebels into a national contender, blazing his own trail in the process.

“I think the hottest person right now is Lane Kiffin, but I would be questionable to take that job if I’m Lane Kiffin, because you will be chasing somebody else’s greatness at any of the schools that are vacant,” Newton explained via First Take. “You’ll already be compared to Urban Meyer if you’re at the University of Florida.

“If you go to LSU, you have the likes of Ed Orgeron and, you know, Nick Saban and those guys and Les Miles. If you stay at Ole Miss — if I’m Lane Kiffin, I say, ‘Give me what I’m owed, and I can build something great that has never been here before.’

“Even with the likes of Eli Manning and the greatness of so many other players in Ole Miss history, you are able to create your own legacy. Something that hasn’t been done before. That’s why Indiana paid their coach, because they understand. There will be coaching vacancies, and the coaching carousel will move.

“But if I’m Lane Kiffin, and him being such a polarizing person, just with what he did this past weekend with shunning the player, I love that in a coach. I love the bravado that he brings. But I think he’s in the right space right there at Ole Miss, because he can create his own narrative, and now he doesn’t feel the pressure of everybody else.”

In Oxford, Newton argument will be one they scream from the rooftops. However, Stephen A. Smith didn’t want to hear it, and neither will the residents in Baton Rouge or Gainesville. He believes the Tigers specifically would represent a major step up, and allow Kiffin to enter the upper echelon of coaches in college football.

“I get it. But Ole Miss, really? I mean, listen, Ole Miss is big-time now. But when you talk about recruiting some studs, when you’re talking about being a permanent fixture in the national title picture, I think there’s a difference between LSU and Ole Miss,” Smith added.

“Long term is what I’m saying. Long term, to me, Lane and what he’s doing at Ole Miss is a testament to his greatness as a coach. Could you imagine what he could do at a program like LSU? I think that’s something that could potentially take him to that next era, where we’re talking about him like a Kirby Smart. Where we’re talking about him the way folks used to, and I believe will again, talk about Dabo Swinney down the line.

“You could build it at Ole Miss, but it’ll be here this year, then it’s here, then it goes back down, then back up. It might come down again. I’m talking about at LSU, a permanent fixture, nationally televised games, Death Valley, the whole nine yards.

“Lane Kiffin at LSU? I’m sorry, long-term, marathon, not the sprint, I’m thinking about LSU. You’re talking about the sprint? Stay at Ole Miss. You’re talking about the marathon? I’m thinking about LSU.”

It remains to be seen what Kiffin decides. He’ll certainly have no shortage of choices when the time comes, and whether he remains at Ole Miss or heads to LSU or Ole Miss, his star will continue to shine bright.