The effects of the Lane Kiffin-to-Florida chatter reaching a new fever pitch have started showing their effects in Oxford.
While Gainesville has been buzzing with excitement to welcome Kiffin, Oxford has been silently preparing for the possibility of welcoming someone else.
The 50-year-old head coach, not denying the rumors or pledging his commitment to Ole Miss by signing the already waiting contract extension, is worsening the anxiety among the Ole Miss fans.
College Football Enquirer's host Steven Godfrey perfectly encapsulates the uncertainty running in Oxford.
“There is an anxiety right now, I can tell you this... There's an anxiety right now about trying to fashion a pocket deal amongst some big-time representatives in the agent world," Godfrey said.
"And a pocket deal would basically be, 'If then then this.' So in other words, 'If we lose Lane Kiffin, then could we secure your client if?'
Lane Kiffin to Florida is becoming more and more undeniable
Florida has been hot on Kiffin’s trail even before they fired Billy Napier.
Kiffin has been, and will continue to be, Florida’s top pick for their next head coach, and any number that Kiffin puts on it won't stop them.
It is only fair for Ole Miss to start thinking about the ‘what if he leaves’ part and start bracing themselves for the worst case scenario.
And, more importantly, they need to do it quickly, as 5 top-tier college football programs have already fired their head coaches in the past few months. All the top-shelf candidates won't be available for long.
There's a cascade effect of when things open, who hires, what openings are then created by that," Godfrey said.
"So there's a doomsday scenario if you're Ole Miss. If Florida's willing to wait through a first-round loss, then Ole Miss would not be shopping from the most premier shelf because a lot of those candidates, like a Jon Sumrall, would already be hired.”
Even with the Ole Miss Rebels almost in the College Football Playoffs, it feels about time to start discussing Kiffin’s top replacements at the Grove.