Steve Spurrier might not have said it directly, but all his comments so far have shown his confidence in Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin's success if he takes up the Florida head coaching role.
Florida fans have made their choice clear in wanting Kiffin in Gainesville, and their former head coach stands with them.
Although Spurrier has taken the "neutral road," he has stated multiple times how perfect Kiffin is for the role. And that's major coming from him, since Kiffin is widely popular as the modern-day Spurrier.
“I firmly think he is a very good coach,” Spurrier told USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer. “There’s no question about that. I like him. I like Eli Drinkwitz (of Missouri). I like a lot of guys out there that are proven winners.”
“I think we’re going to try to hire a proven coach who’s got a winning record in the SEC or another major conference,” Spurrier continued. “I think that’s the type of coach we’re looking for.”
Kiffin checks all those boxes. His time with Ole Miss has seen him take the program to a below-average one to one of the most elite in college football.
Kiffin has not just developed Ole Miss; he has developed as a head coach just as much in the journey. So much so that Spurrier believes that Kiffin would most likely win a national championship, or at least be a consistent college football playoff contender, if he decides to come to Florida.
Spurrier's meaning might be clear, but he has always kept other candidates in his talks.
“They’re throwing Lane’s name out there a lot, and he’d be good here. Look at what he’s done at Ole Miss... Drinkwitz is another one, even Gruden. There are several others, but Lane is being mentioned more than other guys, it seems like," the former Florida head coach told ON3's Chris Low.
NEW: Steve Spurrier tells @clowfb he's staying 'neutral' on Florida's coaching search🐊
— On3 (@On3sports) October 21, 2025
“They’re throwing Lane’s name out there a lot, and he’d be good here. Look at what he’s done at Ole Miss... Drinkwitz is another one, even Gruden. There are several others, but Lane is being… pic.twitter.com/HCZPVrcP3N
Kiffin is obviously the hot favorite, but the chances of him leaving Ole Miss mid-season for essentially building a program from scratch at Florida seem just as much of a long shot.
Ole Miss being a serious college football contender this season makes it even more unlikely.