Lane Kiffin promises money will not impact decision between Ole Miss, open jobs

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin‘s name has frequently appeared in coaching carousel discussions this season. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Kiffin clarified his professional decisions aren’t financially motivated.

“Just so you know, because you haven’t known me very long, Pat, I have never made a decision based off money, nor will I,” Kiffin said. “For a lot of people, they’re just like, ‘Well, money, and it does this and does that.’

“I’ve seen too many examples in life where money does not buy happiness. So I’m never going to make a decision off of money, nor do I care about it. [My agent] Jimmy Sexton gets really mad when I say that. He’s like, ‘We got to get this. We got to get this.’ And, I’m like, ‘Jimmy, I don’t care.’ And he goes, ‘I do!'”

Kiffin appeared on hot boards across the country when Florida fired head coach Billy Napier. Kiffin’s future was a talking point again on Sunday, following LSU‘s decision to part ways with head coach Brian Kelly.

While Lane Kiffin may not be motivated by money, he’s making plenty of it. Kiffin is earning $9 million per year at Ole Miss and can earn up to $2.6 million in bonuses. Kiffin entered this season with the 10th-highest salary in college football.

For reference, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is the highest earner in the sport with a $13.3 million salary. Powerhouse programs such as Florida and LSU may be willing to offer Kiffin money that rivals the biggest names in the sport. After all, analysts have said money won’t be an issue for either school.

Nonetheless, it won’t be easy to separate Kiffin from Ole Miss. His daughter, Landry, attends Ole Miss and his son plays quarterback at a local high school. Earlier this month, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter revealed the program is eyeing a new deal with Kiffin.

Lane Kiffin in his sixth season at Ole Miss, where he’s amassed a 51-19 overall record and a 29-17 mark in conference play. The Rebels are 7-1 this season and riding high after defeating Oklahoma 34-26 on Saturday.

If Ole Miss plays its cards right, it could make its first CFP appearance in program history this season. During an appearance on SEC Nation this past weekend, Kiffin revealed he’d talked to his teams about the coaching rumors involving him.

“I probably wouldn’t even have mentioned it, because they’ve been through this every year. Probably four years in a row, but we have so many new guys,” Kiffin said. “I just told them, ‘Hey guys, that’s what happens around here because we win games and people like the style that we play in.’ That’s all a compliment to the players.”