Lane Kiffin’s family was ‘underwhelmed’ with visit to Gainesville, per report
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More details about Florida‘s failed courtship of Lane Kiffin are beginning to come to light.
Florida was involved in the Kiffin sweepstakes until this past weekend when the Gators reportedly decided to move on to other targets. But earlier this month, before those efforts came up short, Florida reportedly hosted members of Kiffin’s family on a visit to Gainesville.
According to a report from the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar Thompson, that visit didn’t go as planned. Per Thompson’s report, Kiffin’s ex-wife and brother were “underwhelmed by the Gainesville area athletic programs.”
That seemingly played a role in Kiffin’s decision. His son, Knox, is a sophomore quarterback prospect who is currently the starter at Oxford High School in Mississippi. Per Thompson’s report, finding a high school for Knox to transfer to was among the “key factors” in Kiffin’s decision.
Florida ultimately hired Tulane coach Jon Sumrall on Sunday hours before LSU officially announced Kiffin as its next head coach. Sumrall arrives at Florida with deep SEC ties — he’s a former Kentucky linebacker — and a strong track record of winning at programs like Troy and Tulane.
Florida will be hoping Sumrall can bring the Gators back to contender status in the near future.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
