Lane's a proven genius, now who will win the Kiffin revenge tour?

(Photo by Loren Meadows)

“Ain’t he a genius, the boy’s become a star

And he smiles upon the faces who wish they could go far

Not long ago, they criticized, the genius only wrote

And now they listen spellbound with lumps caught in their throats” – from “Ain’t He a Genius” by Jimmy Buffett

You could call this the Lane Kiffin revenge tour. Revenge for all the critics dating all the way back to Al Davis, who hired Lane to coach the Raiders long before he was ready. He was 32 and a budding genius for sure but not anywhere close to ready for prime time. There was the year at Tennessee when he said outrageous things. He was criticized plenty but considering how far down the program had fallen it took someone brash to draw attention. He was fired at Southern Cal even though he never had a full roster due to the NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, doing scorched earth sanctions. He revived Nick Saban’s stagnant offense and won a national championship with the forgettable Jake Coker at QB, then was fired by Nick ahead of the 2016 national championship game with Clemson. Nick probably regrets that.

And so here is Lane, after absorbing enough slings and arrows to last a lifetime, the head coach at Ole Miss and truly the genius that everybody wants a piece of. Florida wants him. That’s been the talk of the college football world ever since Billy Napier was relieved of his duties. LSU is in the picture now that Brian Kelly has been told to take his fake Southern accent to somewhere that they won’t know the difference. And now the New York Giants have fired Brian Daboll, like Lane, a former Saban assistant. The Giants have a QB of the future in Jaxson Dart, whom Lane coached at Ole Miss.

And then there is Ole Miss. There is plenty to love about Oxford. Already Lane is 54-19 as the Ole Miss head coach. This is his third straight year with at least 10 wins and his fourth 10-plus season in the last five years. Win another ball game and he’s reach out and touch distance from the College Football Playoff.

Lane loves Oxford and Oxford loves Lane, but as the late, great Al McGuire once noted, “All love affairs end. Eventually the girl is going to put curlers in her hair.”

So, is the love affair with Ole Miss and Oxford about to end, or does Lane Kiffin tell all these folks promising the moon that the weather is here, I wish you were beautiful?

Here is a does he stay or does he go eval.

LSU: The LSU folks like to point out there is enough high school talent in the state of Louisiana, so much more than Lane has at his disposal in Mississippi. They point to a stadium that seats 36,000 more and starts greasing up for a home game on Wednesday. No need for a grove when you can go to games on Saturday night with a three-day buzz. There is a history of championships and Heisman Trophy winners. That’s the good stuff.

Now for the bad. They fired a coach with 5-3 record, a coach who won 29 games in the previous seasons and had produced a Heisman Trophy winner. They knew the buyout was $54 million when they fired him and now they’re trying to weasel out.

The verdict: Lane may have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night. Taking the LSU job would qualify for a sequel to “Dumb and Dumber.”

New York Giants: Yes, it’s the NFL. It’s all football all the time. Bright lights, big city. Jaxson Dart is the QB. The Giants can be rebuilt through free agency. Isn’t that what Lane is doing to sustain success at Ole Miss? The portal is college football free agency and Lane is the best in the business.

Now for the bad. The New York media is brutal. New York fans will turn on you in a heartbeat. The NFL is like certain species that eat their own offspring. Isn’t this the same organization that Saquon Barkley fled from?  

The verdict: There are two chances he takes this job: No way and no how.

Ole Miss: He’s already a folk hero because he’s won and he’s fit in so nicely in Oxford. They love his brash style. He is a pirate, 200 years too late. The media scrutiny is minimal. He wins. He has some stud assistants like Charlie Weis Jr., O-line coach John Garrison and DC Pete Golding, whose career has been revived in Oxford ever since he was shown the door in Tuscaloosa. A former Division II QB has the Rebels on the cusp of the College Football Playoff. If he stays he’s going to have a statue outside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. He’s a magnet for wayward boys looking for a place to play some football for a fun coach. They’re willing to pony up big bucks and extend his contract.

Now for the bad. There aren’t enough SEC caliber football players in the state so he will have to live and die in the portal as long as he stays at Ole Miss if he intends to keep winning at his current pace. So far, it hasn’t been a problem, but what happens if you hit a bad year when the talent level dips? Trouble because it’s hard to have a strong enough foundation of high school kids to bridge those years when the portal talent just isn’t there. It’s been since 1963 that Ole Miss won the SEC. There are reports that Ole Miss is trying to force his hand to sign an extension. Well meaning folks might be like that eagle pushing its fledgling out of the nest.

The verdict: In so many ways Oxford makes so much sense. It might be hard to get fired the way things are going. No pressure. The fam loves Oxford. Lane loves Oxford but he’s seeing curlers.

Florida: Steve Spurrier was the coach Lane idolized dating all the way back to his college days as a walk-on QB at Fresno State. Hence the visor. His wife is the daughter of Gator great John Reaves. His mother-in-law, whom he adores, lives in Gainesville. There are reports that his oldest daughter has been accepted to UF law school. There is tradition of winning championships (eight SEC, three national since 1990). His style both as a coach and the way he deals with the media is reminiscent of Spurrier so he’s a perfect fit. After four years of the Napier offense, Gator Nation is starving for someone who is willing to open things up, throw the ball all over the yard and take a few gambles. There is more talent within a 150-mile radius of Gainesville in any given year than you will find in any three years combined in Mississippi. Kids who wouldn’t think of playing at Ole Miss will come to Florida in droves. The Swamp is as intimidating place to play as there is in college football.

Now for the bad. Whoever is Florida’s next coach will be the fifth since 2011. From 1990 to 2010 Florida was the pre-eminent power in the SEC. Now the Gators are below the Mendoza line. There may be a mass exodus of players in a couple of weeks and the recruiting class is going to be decimated.

The verdict: There is a report that the offer is 10 years, $150 million. It’s a worthy investment. At Florida Lane can build the program up with high school kids and then cherry pick from the portal. Immediately, with the potential of so many departures, Lane’s expertise in the portal can salvage matters. Also, if he’s the head coach, a lot of players who were thinking of departing may elect to stay. Florida does have talent.

Florida makes way too much sense. This is the place where the genius will flourish and leave us spellbound with lumps in our throats.

COUNTDOWN TO FIRING DAY: NOVEMBER 18, 2025

The Recycling Bin

James Franklin, Virginia Tech: He didn’t win the big ones at Penn State, but he’s a really good coach. Virginia Tech has outkicked its coverage and landed someone who can make the Hokies relevant.

Extinct Species List

Billy Napier, Florida: The Lane Train to Florida is the prevailing rumor. As for Billy Napier, bet the farm he’s the next head ball coach at Colorado State.  

James Franklin, Penn State: Didn’t take him long to get re-hired did it? So who does Penn State go after? Penn State folks are saying they’re on a Kalen DeBoer or bust hunt. If they had a functioning brain they would go after Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.

Brian Kelly, LSU: They want Lane Kiffin. Chances they get him? Slim. The two guys they could get are Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State and Brent Key of Georgia Tech. Jon Sumrall is just down the road at Tulane.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn: Probably the smartest move they could make is Jon Sumrall, the HBC at Tulane. He cut his head coaching teeth at nearby Troy, knows the state and how to recruit in Georgia and the Florida panhandle. Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin is a confirmed candidate. Tiger fans would go into apoplexy if he got the job. As for Hugh watch for him in the recycle bin.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas: Rhett Lashlee has signed a raise and extension to stay at SMU. Smart move on his part. Easier to make the playoff in the ACC than coaching in Fayette Nam. The new guy won’t be Bobby Petrino. Florida State would probably forgive the buyout if Arkansas native son Mike Norvell heard mama calling. Sam Pittman should be having hard conversations with Kalen DeBoer. Alabama needs an O-line coach and Sam is as good as it gets.  

DeShaun Foster, UCLA: The emerging candidate is Washington head coach Jed Fisch.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: The guy whose name is seemingly circled is Eric Morris at North Texas. He runs a lights out offense.

Trent Bray, Oregon State: They need a west coast guy who doesn’t require a lot of money since the Beavers don’t have any. Expect them to hire from the Big Sky or Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Trent Dilfer, UAB: If they go cheap they’ll hire Alex Mortensen from within. If they want to restore the program they’ll convince Bill Clark to come out of retirement and teach them how to win again.

Jay Norvell, Colorado State: Billy Napier seems to be the guy. He coached wide receivers at CSU for Jim McElwain.

On Life Support

Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: No one in the country needs a two-game winning streak more than Fickell, who is 16-20 in three years. They are accustomed to winning eight or more a season and this year could finish 3-9.

Dave Aranda, Baylor: They hate firing coaches at Baylor, but they also think they should finish upper tier in the Big 12 and they’re getting smoked by Texas Tech, Houston, TCU. Dave needs two wins badly or else he will be someone’s defensive coordinator next year.

Sonnie Cumbie, Louisiana Tech: They’re making the move to the Fun Belt next year and a 5-5 coach in ConUSA isn’t going to cut it.

Derek Mason, Middle Tennessee State: Fine assistant coach. Peter Principle hire who has never won anywhere he’s been the head guy. Raiders are 1-9.

Dell McGee, Georgia State: It's a matter of when, not if he's a goner. It's been proven that winning at Georgia State is possible. Dell hasn't delivered.

Endangered Species List

Shane Beamer, South Carolina: Well, they don’t have to worry that he’ll bolt for Virginia Tech now that James Franklin has taken the job. They don’t want to fire him. They really like him, but he better win next year.

Jonathan Smith, Michigan State: Sure, he’s only been there two years, but there is that case of big brother envy in the state and it’s all about catching up to the Wolverines.

Joe Moorhead, Akron: You measure wins at Akron like dog years. A win at Akron is like seven at Alabama. By that formula Joe has won 28 games, remarkable since the Zips have played 11.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky: The Wildcats were dead in the water a month ago. Now they're 5-5, needing one win in the last two to return to the winter home of UK football, the Music City Bowl.