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Paul Finebaum on Lane Kiffin: 'Everything seems to be pointing toward Florida'

79417-removebg-preview (1)by: Corey Bender7 hours agoCorey_Bender
Florida-Gators-Lane-Kiffin-Ole-Miss
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin walks off the field before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)

Ole Miss had to fight off Florida deep into the fourth quarter on Saturday, but the drama on the field wasn’t the only thing drawing attention. Much of the conversation focused on Lane Kiffin and growing talk that the Rebels’ head coach could be tied to the Florida job in the coming weeks.

Kiffin has become one of the most discussed names in college football, with the speculation around him having only picked up over the weekend. Paul Finebaum weighed in on The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday, saying the chatter keeps pointing toward Gainesville.

“Yeah, I mean, Ole Miss has not played at the highest level lately, but they’re getting by,” said Finebaum. “I don’t understand Florida. Let’s not waste a lot of time on them. One week they take off; the next week they come back and look like a team that’s capable of making a run. Lane Kiffin is the story right now. As the week unfolded last week, the Kiffin rumors started going crazy.”

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The rumors will not be going away

Kiffin is 54-19 since arriving in 2020 and has posted four double-digit win seasons. His name has come up in major coaching searches before, including Auburn, and now Florida and LSU are being mentioned again. All of this buzz comes despite Kiffin having not won an SEC Championship or reached the College Football Playoff.

Finebaum noted that the rumors are everywhere right now. He said it’s reached a point where people around the sport can’t avoid the conversation.

“We’re not here to discuss rumors, but you could not avoid it and everybody seems to know something. He is going to have a difficult time these next couple of weeks dealing with it because everything seems to be pointing toward Florida,” said Finebaum. “It appears the governor did a good job of taking Lane Kiffin out of the LSU situation. Now, how does he deal with it?”

Playoff push adds complication to Lane Kiffin’s situation

Ole Miss’ success adds another layer to the situation. The Rebels are 10-1 and in strong position for the College Football Playoff. That makes the timing of any potential move even more complicated.

“I asked somebody the other day in the circle of people that actually do know. What about the Playoff? I heard some crazy stuff about the Playoff and as important as it is to get to the Playoff, jobs are more important right now,” Finebaum said. “So, I’m not saying anything is going to happen or could happen, but I think we might be in for the wackiest postseason we have ever seen.”

For now, the rumors continue to build. One thing is for certain though: Kiffin remains the top priority for Florida as the coaching search moves forward.

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