ESPN reveals Florida State made 'stealth move' to hire Lane Kiffin during 2025 coaching carousel

ESPN published a full expose on the Lane Kiffin departure from Ole Miss to LSU and it included a surprising revelation. There was a fourth team in the mix for his services: Florida State.

Prior to now, the schools primarily discussed with Kiffin were Florida, LSU and Ole Miss. But Florida State also quietly made overtures for the coveted offensive mind.

ESPN reports that while Florida and LSU were more publicly associated with the hunt for Kiffin, Florida State was “making a stealth move to poach Kiffin.” That was based on a relationship that Florida State athletics director Michael Alford had with Lane Kiffin.

As the Worldwide Leader noted, Alford was an associate athletics director at USC from 2000-03. Kiffin served as tight ends and receivers coach there from 2001-03, so the two overlapped.

“The Seminoles’ recruitment of Kiffin continued into the middle of November, according to the sources,” ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote. “But after it became clear Kiffin wasn’t coming, FSU announced Nov. 23 that (Mike) Norvell would return for a seventh season.”

It’s an interesting revelation, because it introduces one more school that will have a vested interest in seeing how Kiffin’s tenure at LSU plays out. Already things have been a little tense in the days since his departure.

Ole Miss AD calls out Lane Kiffin

There’s been plenty of back-and-forth about how things unfolded in Lane Kiffin‘s departure from Ole Miss for LSU. One hotly debated point was whether the team asked Kiffin to coach it through the playoffs.

Kiffin made that claim when he departed by releasing a note on social media. But players fairly immediately disputed it.

Add athletics director Keith Carter to the chorus of folks stating that version of reality was, well, inaccurate. Carter chimed in on an interview with SuperTalk Mississippi.

“Yeah, there’s been a lot of things he’s said publicly that I’m not sure are totally accurate,” Carter said. “I think that both coach and his representation knew several weeks ago that coaching in the playoffs was not going to be an option if he was not the Ole Miss head coach.”

That some were allowed to frame it as Lane Kiffin being forced out of the Ole Miss job does a disservice to the Rebels. That was always the plan discussed should he take another job, Carter said.

Kiffin did not, as he claimed, learn the day of his team meeting that he would not be allowed to continue forward with Ole Miss. So says Carter.

“No, that’s not accurate. That’s not accurate,” Carter said. “The only thing that was a little bit of a wrinkle in it was the fact that if Auburn had beaten Alabama we were going to play in the SEC Championship. That threw a little wrinkle in it.

“Not to say he would have coached in that game, but with the shorter time period that was maybe the only little nuance to it. But absolutely it was very clear that coaching in the postseason was not going to be an option for coach Kiffin a few weeks ago.”