Lane Kiffin addresses Auburn job speculation following Egg Bowl loss to Mississippi State
Ole Miss officially ended their regular season on Thursday night with a 24-22 loss to Mississippi State. Afterwards, head coach Lane Kiffin finally faced some pointed questions regarding his future in Oxford amid reports by Auburn Live and other outlets that Kiffin is thinking hard about being Auburn’s next football coach.
Does Kiffin anticipate being the Ole Miss head coach in 2023?
“Yes, I do,” Kiffin said to the postgame question by reporters.
When Kiffin was asked if he intends to sign a contract extension with Ole Miss, Kiffin said, “I don’t know. I’ve signed three. I don’t know. I am more focused on the game than a contract.”
During a postgame radio interview with Ole Miss radio, when Kiffin was asked about the opportunity to coach and play in a bowl game after a little break, Kiffin responded with, “Yea, I guess so.”
Kiffin addressed talk around his name being linked to the Auburn job last Monday as well.
“I don’t know what else to say. I’m extremely happy here,” Kiffin said. “I can get up here and give the ‘Pine Box’ speech and ‘I’m not going to be the next head coach at Alabama. I can give you those things … don’t know what those mean. Been here three years and have been fortunate enough to have three different contracts. I don’t know why a fourth contract makes people feel better.”
Sources have told Auburn Live that Lane Kiffin’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, has John Cohen and Auburn’s official offer in hand. Auburn formally approved their offer earlier this week, then delivered it to Sexton. Sexton and his client are expected to mull Auburn’s offer over after the Egg Bowl’s conclusion. That’s when an official decision will be made, whether it’s Kiffin remaining at Ole Miss, or accepting the deal and making the move to Auburn.
Kiffin has remained atop Auburn Live’s Coaching Hot Board since the firing of Bryan Harsin on October 31. While other candidates have impressed during interviews with Cohen, no candidate has supplanted Kiffin atop Cohen’s wish list.
If Auburn can’t reach a deal with Kiffin soon, sources continue to tell Auburn Live that Cohen will move on to the next candidate, and will do so quickly. Liberty’s Hugh Freeze, Penn State’s James Franklin, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson are some names to watch, if Kiffin remains at Ole Miss.
