“He’s not an idiot”: CFB insider disapproves the idea of Lane Kiffin leaving for Florida Gators as head coach

Lane Kiffin has done well over the last four years in charge at Ole Miss. With consistent growth, the coach has been able to transform the Rebels into a contender in college football. This has made him a top option for the Florida Gators job as pressure continues to mount on Billy Napier.

However, college football insider Mike Farrell offered his opinion on the possibility of Kiffin taking the Gators job on Sunday. Following his success so far in Oxford and the current mess at Florida, Farrell doubts there's any chance Kiffin will be replacing Napier in Gainesville.

“A rumor was somehow started that the Ole Miss coach would be interested in the Gators job when it opens,” Farrell wrote. "Billy Napier is a dead man walking and has been a colossal failure in Gainesville and a new coach will be in place to start the 2025 season. But it won’t be Kiffin. He’s not an idiot.”

Lane Kiffin's reputation for jumping programs

Lane Kiffin has the reputation of moving from one program to the other in college football. He's been a head coach at Tennessee, USC, and Florida Atlantic before landing at Ole Miss. He's also previously had assistant jobs at a host of programs including Alabama.

Despite his record of moving around, Farrell doesn't see Kiffin taking a job where the working conditions won't allow him to thrive. He's been linked to a host of college football openings in the past two offseasons but decided to stay and continue the good work at Ole Miss.

“Kiffin has bounced around and has the reputation of someone who will bolt,” Farrell wrote. "Leaving Knoxville in the middle of the night helped this reputation but it’s actually not accurate."

“Kiffin is one of those coaches rumored to be in play for every open job and last year he flirted with Auburn. But Kiffin decided to stay at Ole Miss and why? He knew despite the money that Auburn is the most toxic head coaching job in the SEC.”

An impatient fanbase in Gainesville

Florida has one of the loudest fanbases in the world of college football. There's a constant expectation to win, which often places undue pressure on coaches. This is a reason Farrell believes Lane Kiffin won't consider an offer from the Gators.

“Since Urban Meyer left after leading the Gators to two national titles, the fanbase and boosters have been impatient," Farrell pointed out.

Urban Meyer has on many occasions described what the pressure in Gainesville looks like for a coach despite his success at the program. This is something Lane Kiffin will want to avoid, especially with his current level of success at Ole Miss.