The status of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is one of the biggest questions currently circulating around college football, but whether or not Kiffin stays in Oxford, the Rebels might want to start thinking about backup options.
No, Kiffin hasn't decided to leave yet, but where could the Ole Miss Rebels turn if they had to fill a coaching vacancy of their own?
College football analyst Josh Pate thinks he has the perfect candidate in mind, even though another SEC program has already laid its eyes on him.
Could Jon Sumrall replace Lane Kiffin?
IF Kiffin decides to take the job at LSU or Florida, both of which he is heavily involved in the conversation for, then Ole Miss will have to fill his shoes with an equally heavy-hitting head coach.
However, not many successful head coaches are jumping ship from their winning programs to take another job, even at one of the big-time teams in the best conference in the country. In fact, programs like Indiana, Nebraska, and more have extended their coaches' contracts.
Pate threw out the name Jon Sumrall, the current head coach of the Tulane Green Wave. Since taking hold of the reins in 2024, he has led the program to a 17-7 overall record and holds a 7-2 record currently.
Before taking over at Tulane, he led Troy to a 23-4 overall record, including two postseason games, one of which they won with Sumrall at the helm.
Because the Green Wave is part of a private University, the program isn't required to report Sumrall's exact contract details, but he is expected to earn $3 million this year. However, his buyout is unclear, but the Ole Miss athletic department would more likely than not have adequate funding to pay it.
"And I'm going to be okay because you know what I think? I think I could be very competitive with Auburn in trying to pursue Jon Sumrall," Pate said. "That's what I think because there aren't many places in the SEC right now that are set up better to succeed than Ole Miss."
It's a great idea that honestly makes sense for the Rebels. However, this is all still entirely hypothetical because Kiffin hasn't given any indication as to whether or not he's leaving.