Lane Kiffin peppered with questions on future: 'I must be missing something'

Lane Kiffin is the most wanted man in college football right now, with three different SEC programs — Ole Miss, Florida and LSU — all vying for his services for next season and beyond. But through one of the most intense coaching carousels in recent memory, the sixth-year Rebels coach has maintained a stalwart stance of not speaking publicly about other coaching opportunities.

Of course, that has only allowed rampant speculation to propagate — which were only intensified after reports earlier this week that Kiffin’s immediate family visited both Gainesville and Baton Rouge on Sunday and Monday. That news came amid reports that Ole Miss administrators have given Kiffin a deadline to decide if he’s staying in Oxford or leaving for another job, which Kiffin flaty denied during a Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

Still, questions about what the future holds for Florida, LSU and Ole Miss remain, leading to quite an awkward eight-minute appearance for Kiffin on Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference as the Rebels coach faced multiple pointed inquiries from reporters.

Among the deluge of questions, Kiffin was asked point-blank if he expected to coach in Ole Miss’ Egg Bowl game next week against rival Mississippi State. That prompted a sharp question from Kiffin.

Lane Kiffin on if he’ll coach in Egg Bowl: ‘Do you know something that I don’t know?’

“Do you know something that I don’t know?” Kiffin responded curtly. “Do I expect to coach next week? Why would I not expect to coach next week? I mean, I expected to coach against Florida too. So I don’t even understand the question about how I would not expect to coach next week. Why would I (not) be at work?”

The reporter doubled-down with a slight reframing of his question and asked if Kiffin could imagine a scenario where he wasn’t on Ole Miss’ sideline on Black Friday.

“No, I don’t. I mean, we’re game planning, we just practiced, I don’t even understand how that would happen,” Kiffin answered. “I must be missing something.”

While that response could be encouraging for concerned Ole Miss fans, Kiffin’s refusal to directly address the uncertainty around his future remains an issue for those on the outside of the process. Another reporter then followed up with a question about a timeline for clarity into Kiffin’s thinking.

“I mean, I’ve been saying the same thing for six years: I’m not speaking on other jobs. I’m focused on this one,” Kiffin said forcibly. “… I don’t even understand what the question is. Of course I’m coaching. Unless you guys know something I don’t, or I’m getting fired and I don’t know it.”

Lane Kiffin responds to Ole Miss fans complaining about coaching carousel

While a direct firing is unlikely given Ole Miss (10-1 6-1 SEC) is currently in the midst of its best season on record with a College Football Playoff berth on the horizon, Kiffin did make sure to address any Rebels fans that might be upset by how he’s handled the entire coaching carousel process.

“I’ve said it before, if programs want your coach, that should be looked at as an amazing thing and a great thing by your fans,” Kiffin added. “So if programs want your coach because you’re 10-1 or whatever, and have three 10-win seasons in a row, which has never been done before, is that a good thing that other programs want your coach because you’ve experienced success that it’s never had? Or would you rather be 5-6 or 6-5 right now and no one wants your coach? I would look at it from that perspective.”