The college football coaching carousel used to occur in December. No longer.

With elite programs like LSU and Southern California – among others – looking for head coaches to replace their current or departed coaches, it’s a good time to be a highly regarded college football coach. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is in that position. Moreover, Kiffin has shown a willingness to move quickly from one job to the next, so there’s reason to think he could be using Ole Miss as a stepping stone. Most SEC fans are aware that he left Tennessee after just one season in 2009.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter was prepared for the questions about Kiffin’s future. He said the Rebels are in the process of securing Kiffin even during the season.

“We’ve been in some discussions, kind of behind the scenes, and we’ll continue to do that,” Carter said per a report by 247 Sports. “I think when you’ve got somebody like Coach Kiffin, who is going to do a great job, he’s going to win games, he’s energetic, he brings so much brand equity to you and those type of things…on not only a local and regional level but a national level…we’re probably going to deal with this. He’s going to be involved in these discussions and these rumors and these type of things about job openings.

“We’ll continue to be proactive on that. Obviously, we love Coach Kiffin. We love what he’s done for the program and we want him to be an Ole Miss Rebel for a long time.”

Carter said interest in Kiffin is a good sign for Ole Miss’ program.

“Clearly, when your head coach is in the middle of some of these discussions and these rumors, that’s in a way a good thing,” Carter said, “because we’re doing some really good things here. Coach Kiffin and his staff and the team are putting a good product on the field and, obviously, there’s buzz around the program. I think as a leader and the person who oversees this department, my job is to be proactive, be forward thinking on things like that.

Kiffin hasn’t been specifically linked to any job openings. However, the LSU head coaching position would be considered an upgrade for most coaches in the SEC. Ed Orgeron is serving out his final season as LSU’s head coach after coming to a “mutual separation” with the Tigers.