Nick Saban suggests Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU might not be an upgrade
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The 2025 college football coaching carousel is already reaching breakneck speeds heading into November, and the name that everybody around the sport will be watching with great interest moving forward is Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.
Nobody knows whether or not Kiffin will actually leave Oxford, but many analysts around the sport believe that both Florida and LSU should make runs at him after dismissing their respective coaches.
While most argue that either school would be a “better” job for Kiffin, given historical success, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban isn’t so sure. Not with the modern landscape of college football changing things so drastically.
“Jobs that weren’t great jobs before are now,” Saban said this week in an interview with On3’s Chris Low. “Lane is the first name up for Florida and the first name up for LSU, but I think you can have a long debate on whether either one of those jobs is actually better than the job he has now because he has some guys over there at Ole Miss that give him pretty much whatever he wants from a roster standpoint.”
Kiffin served as Saban’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16. The duo won a national championship together during the 2015 season. Kiffin credits Saban for the trajectory of his career often.
He landed the Ole Miss job in 2020 after 3 seasons at FAU. In his 6 years with the Rebels, Kiffin has made a habit of cleaning up in the transfer portal, and those recruiting successes have led to program-changing results.
The Rebels went 21-5 between 2023 and 2024, with wins in the Peach Bowl and the Gator Bowl. This year, they’re 7-1 with an inside track to the College Football Playoff.
“Maybe you’ve got alumni who are passionate about football, but are they willing to invest what you have to invest now to win?” Saban questioned. “Because a lot of people don’t believe in this shit.”
