Nick Saban reveals his most important factor to Lane Kiffin decision between Ole Miss, LSU

Lane Kiffin is set to make his decision on Saturday. Will he stay at Ole Miss, or move on to LSU?

Nick Saban is one of the two mentors Kiffin said he would look toward for guidance in his decision. On ESPN College GameDay, Saban revealed one major factor he believes makes the Tigers job more attractive than Ole Miss.

“I think Lane’s decision is going to come down to one thing: where is the place that I can recruit the best players? And I think one of Lane’s apprehensions is that he’s had to use the portal to build his team at Ole Miss each year,” Saban said. “At LSU, he probably could recruit better talent and then just supplement his team by need with the portal.

“That’s probably the dilemma that he has, as well as his loyalty to his team that he’s coaching now that he wants to be able to continue to coach. So it’s a tough thing to have the right answer to.”

Kiffin has gained the reputation as one of best recruiters in the transfer portal. Finding players that fit his program has been a major factor in guiding Ole Miss to the success they’ve enjoyed under his guidance. It’s helped him lead the Rebels to three-straight 10-win seasons and a historic 11-win regular season in 2025.

Whether that changes if he takes the LSU job remains to be seen. But it’s true that he’s built the Ole Miss program without signing the top high school recruits each season. That remains true today, as the Rebels’ 2026 class currently ranked 20th in the country, while the head coach-less LSU Tigers currently have the 11th-best class in the 2026 rankings.

There’s also been major debate over whether Kiffin should be able to keep coaching his team through the CFP if he opts to move on. Kiffin mentioned in his postgame press conference that decision isn’t up to him and said he’s unsure if he’ll even be allowed to.

Saban said that he believes Kiffin should be able to coach his team through the playoff regardless of his decision. It’s not something completely unheard of. North Texas head coach Eric Morris will continue coaching his program through the remainder of its season despite having already accepted the same position at Oklahoma State.

Whether Kiffin intends to stay or leave remains the biggest question heading into Saturday rivalry weekend. However, everyone will likely know the answer by this time tomorrow.