Florida Football: Kiffin Conundrum-Stay or Go?

Lane Kiffin has everything he needs…at Ole Miss

By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com, Host of the Lowdown with Loren Meadows

Lane Kiffin (GatorBait photo)

After review, I am convinced that Lane Kiffin is a pretty good football coach. He runs an imaginative offense that is diverse and designed to attack talented defenses in different ways. His defense led by defensive coordinator Pete Golding is aggressive and possesses physical and mental attributes that make life hard for opposing offenses. Along with that Kiffin has the Manning Performance Center, the Grove Collective, and a mastery of the transfer portal that have allowed him to grab talents such as Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris , Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy, and the Umanmielen brothers. The Lane Kiffin that presented himself to Ole Miss and Florida fans last night has created a culture of belief and arrogance that has been absent from the Florida program for quite some time. 

With that belief and arrogance there is the x-factor that Ole Miss showed that again is frustratingly missing from the Florida fan base. While Florida fans have spent the last 20 plus years looking for the next Steve Spurrier and failing to commit to the changing landscape of college athletics, the folks at Ole Miss are all in on all things Rebels especially football. As you move through the town square in Oxford there is no doubt who is at the center of their collective hearts. There is no shortage of red and navy (sometimes powder) blue throughout the downtown area of Oxford. From Ajax Diner, to The Library, to Boure patrons are as dialed into their football team and the pregame experience that dwarfs what you see in Gainesville. In Oxford even the upscale clientele at Neilsen’s knows exactly when and who Ole Miss is playing and you will see them at the game. I wish I could say the same for those in Gainesville.  

After leaving the square for the short drive to campus you notice the speed limits set to 18MPH and 10MPH respectfully to honor the schools best passers with the same name. More red and navy blue is in full bloom in every age and we haven’t even made it to The Grove yet. Upon arrival the walk to The Grove is full of Ole Miss fans that are eager to welcome you to Ole Miss and thank you for coming. One particular fan, Milton Stenet goes a step further to not only welcome us but act as our personal tour guide complete with a historical tour of the center campus and its oldest building The Lyceum. The pride and love for the university is evident, how many Florda fans greeted Ole Miss fans in an equal manner a year ago? Upon arriving in The Circle which begins or ends The Grove depending on your perspective, the sensory overload is incredible as there is a cornucopia of welcoming tents complete with chandeliers, beverages, food, and unique dishes including a stuffed grilled alligators. Cardboard cutouts of Mississippi’s most popular employee are adorned with crowns, jewelry, and even a few even include Kiffin’s dog Juice. This is an embrace that you just don’t see everywhere and it is palpable from the moment you step into the mix at Ole Miss.

Cut to gametime, after speaking with several fans that told me that they would gladly accept a couple .500 seasons from Lane Kiffin the atmosphere is incredible as the fans cheer when they first see THEIR coach onscreen as  he walks out the tunnel. Dan Mullen won ten games twice at Florida and I don’t think they ever showed him on the screen let alone did fans cheer as he stood on the logo with his whistle. The atmosphere in Vaught-Hemingway is 3-parts football game one part dance club as the fans groove in unison to the sounds of the stadium in a collective dance of support for their team. The crowd makes life hard on the opposing offenses as they cheer throughout each play, timeouts are marketing gems of all things Ole Miss, and early in the game with Florida driving someone accidentally turns off the lights, OOPS!! Upon vanquishing the Gators, many in the crowd snap belts that represents what they believe just occurred sans the profanity and for good measure the last song Florida hears as they leave the field is “Won’t Back Down”, genius. Ole Miss is enjoying their success and letting Kiffin know that they appreciate what he is doing with the football program. Florida jettisons its most successful coach in over ten years and throws a parade for its worst since World War II.

Wishful thinking or things to come? (GatorBait photo)

Lane Kiffin would be wise to encourage Florida to take a hard look in the mirror and then after that take a look north to Oxford. If he should arrive in Gainesville sometime in January it will not be because of what Florida has to offer but more what he can bring to Florida with help from one of its little brothers in the SEC. I told someone earlier tonight that when looking at both programs it is not that Ole Miss is better than Florid. It is that Ole Miss is better at being Ole Miss than Florida is at being Florida. How can one of the nations most noted brands be so far behind the curve on what matters most in today’s landscape? Will it matter to Kiffin at all, or is a visor with a Gator enough to get him to attempt to match the success of his idol. If it doesn’t Florida has only themselves to blame, and after a night in Oxford I wouldn’t blame Kiffin at all.