Report: Lane Kiffin eyes move if one ACC job opens up
Would Lane Kiffin head back to South Florida?
Multiple sources have told Miami-based TV host Andy Slater the Ole Miss head coach would leave Oxford for Miami if the job opened up. Slater tweeted the news on Thursday.
Kiffin has many ties to Florida. Prior to taking the Ole Miss job, the second-year Rebels coach was the Florida Atlantic coach in Boca Raton from 2017-2019. His father, Monte, has made numerous stops at Florida spots, most notably as the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2008. The elder Kiffin is currently on his son’s staff in Oxford.
Through 10 years as a college head coach at Tennessee, USC, FAU and Ole Miss, Kiffin has a 75-41 record and three bowl wins. The Rebels are 8-2 this season with the opportunity to win 10 games for just the third time since 1972.
Kiffin is known as one of the country’s top recruiters, and Miami is a program that has had out-of-state programs raid its backyard.
Over the last five recruiting classes, there have obviously been 25 top-five recruits from Florida. Eight of those ranked in the top 25 by 247Sports went to Alabama. In other words, one-third of the top-five recruits since 2017 from the state of Florida left to play in Tuscaloosa.
Kiffin speculation is building amongst several people
Slater is not the first sports media personality to speculate about Kiffin’s future. On a podcast episode of Yahoo Sports’ “College Football Enquirer,” host Dan Wetzel discussed the possibility with Pete Thamel of Yahoo and Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.
But not everyone thinks Kiffin could make the jump back to Florida. At least one Miami alum already challenged Slater’s sources:
Disappointing third season for Diaz
Manny Diaz is currently in charge for the Hurricanes, but they are 5-5 and just lost a brutal game to a struggling Florida State team. Granted, they lost their starting quarterback D’Eriq King to a shoulder injury, but they returned nearly everyone from last year’s team. The experiences of a veteran squad have not done much for the ‘Canes.
The third-year head coach is widely considered to be one of the next Power Five coaches to part ways with their current job. Miami let go athletic director Blake James on Monday, another signal that regime change across the board is likely in Coral Gables.
Diaz, a Miami native but Florida State graduate, is 19-15 as a head coach for the Hurricanes. He was the defensive coordinator for Miami from 2016-2018.
Miami hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday, while Ole Miss welcomes Vanderbilt.