Lane Kiffin to Florida is the hottest, most-buzzing rumor in the coaching carousel rumor mill. More importantly, it is a real possibility that Ole Miss fans can't ignore anymore.
Several sources have confirmed the continued buzz they are hearing in both Gainesville and Ole Miss offices; Fox Sports's Joel Klatt being one of them.
And what Klatt has to say is not something Ole Miss fans would like to hear.
Sources have Florida over Ole Miss and LSU
Even if the Rebels are willing to offer Kiffin a blank check, Klatt's sources have Kiffin still preferring Florida over them.
“I don’t know where Lane Kiffin is going to end up. I know that Ole Miss is basically telling him, ‘Hey, it’s a blank check. You can tell us what you need to stay here, and we will do it.’ I have that on good authority,” Klatt said of the situation.
And it's not just Ole Miss; given Kiffin's popularity on the head coaching candidates hot board, programs like LSU are willing to do the same.
“I also have, on pretty good authority, that LSU is prepared to do the same thing for Lane Kiffin,” Klatt added.
Yet still, sources has Kiffin closely preferring Florida over both schools.
“They’ll basically tell him, ‘The keys are yours.’ Florida is a job that I think Lane would prefer over the other two, from what I’ve been told, and they are not quite in the same boat as Ole Miss and LSU in terms of, ‘Here, the sky is yours and name your price.’ There are more strings.”
The unsigned Ole Miss contract extension still sitting on Kiffin's desk is an undeniable reality, one that keeps the anxiousness alive in Oxford.
The only remaining hope for Ole Miss is the Rebels's spot in the College Football Playoffs. For now, it might be the only string holding Kiffin back.