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Steve Spurrier states Lane Kiffin, Eli Drinkwitz would be 'super' hires for Florida

Danby: Daniel Hager12 hours agoDanielHagerOn3
Steve-Spurrier-states-Lane-Kiffin-Eli-Drinkwitz-would-be-super-hires-for-Florida
Florida Gators legendary head ball coach Steve Spurrier watches practice from a distance during the second open fall practice held at the Sanders Practice Fields on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Fla., July 27, 2019. [Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun]

The head coaching carousel is piping hot in the sport of college football, as marquee programs such as LSU, Florida, and Penn State are still vetting candidates for their head coaching vacancies. Virginia Tech announced its hire of former Penn State head coach James Franklin on Monday, turning the first cog in the carousel.

As things continue to get worked out, legendary former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier has thrown out Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz as potential ‘super’ hires for the program.

“I know Lane Kiffin and I know Eli Drinkwitz,” Spurrier said. “Obviously, either one of those guys would be super if it works out. But, it’s a long way from whoever we’re going to get as our coach right now.”

Kiffin would obviously be Florida‘s No. 1 choice, as his family reportedly traveled to Gainesville on Sunday, per On3’s Pete Nakos, Brett McMurphy and Chris Low. He led his Rebels to a 34-24 win over the Gators on Saturday night, but didn’t quite clear up rumors swirling about his job status postgame.

Florida is seeking consistency at head coach after past hires

“I love what we’re doing here,” Kiffin said. “Today was awesome. To even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players and what they did today. We’ve got a lot of things going on right now and we’re doing really well.”

Kiffin has been with the Ole Miss program since 2020, leading the Rebels to a 54-19 record over that span. They notched their fourth 10-win season under Kiffin with their win Saturday night and look well on their way to the College Football Playoff. Whether or not the head coach decides to stay or leave however will dictate whether or not he will actually coach in the CFP.

On the other hand, Spurrier also floated Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz for the Florida head coaching vacancy. Like Kiffin, Drinkwitz has also been with Missouri since 2020. In that time, he’s led the program to a 45-27 record with back-to-back 10-win seasons and back-to-back bowl game victories.

No matter what decision the program makes, it is looking for some consistency from the top down. Since it parted ways with Urban Meyer following the 2010 season, Florida‘s last four head coaches (Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Dan Mullen, and Billy Napier) have failed to coach past a fourth season.