Pete Thamel reveals where Ole Miss' mindset is with Lane Kiffin coaching search

As the college football postseason approaches, the coaching carousel is spinning faster than ever. Soon, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will have to decide if he wants to go for a ride or remain where he stands. On Monday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed Ole Miss’ mindset in the Kiffin coaching search saga.

“This is Ole Miss’ quandary: If they don’t get a yes and a signature from Lane Kiffin this week on a new deal, it is going to signal that he’s likely going to go elsewhere,” Thamel said. “Ole Miss isn’t going to get outbid financially, right? This isn’t the ’90s, where someone can come in and just crush them. They have shown their rate of spend at the highest levels of the SEC.

“Then, the conundrum becomes this: Ole Miss is a playoff lock. … Would Ole Miss let a departing Lane Kiffin coach in the playoff? And the answer is probably not, right? If this guy is going to go to one of your SEC rivals, and I don’t think anyone in a Power Five conference would let a coach who’s leaving a team stick around and coach in the playoff.”

Per On3’s Pete Nakos, Brett McMurphy and Chris Low, Ole Miss wants clarity from Kiffin on his future by the end of this week. If Kiffin is unable to provide that clarity or tells Ole Miss he plans on taking another job, the school may not allow Kiffin to finish out the season with the Rebels.

Naturally, this potential threat could impact Kiffin’s decision. After all, the Rebels are 10-1 and expected to appear in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

Nonetheless, Kiffin hasn’t been ignoring outside interest. Kiffin’s family reportedly traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Gainesville, Florida, to tour the cities. Additionally, Kiffin didn’t dismiss rumors when asked about his interest in other jobs after Ole Miss’ win over Florida on Saturday.

With Ole Miss on a bye this week, Kiffin is on the clock to make a decision. No matter what Kiffin decides to do, Thamel is confident it will be entertaining.

“I’ve gotten the feeling that Ole Miss, at the end of this week, may start running out of a little bit of patience, being like, ‘Hey, what else can we do here? You know what I mean, what else? What else can we possibly do?'” Thamel said. “As with Lane Kiffin always, it’s not going to be boring.

“There’s going to be theater. There’s going to be drama. … This is the week where we should get some clues into what Lane’s intentions are.”