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Ole Miss Announces Plans For Lane Kiffin Amid Coaching Rumors
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- Ole Miss Announces Plans For Lane Kiffin Amid Coaching Rumors
Curt Cignetti was the first coach of 2025 to get a big extension and a raise, but as more and more big programs part ways with their head coaches, they'll be looking to poach other ascending programs. Ole Miss could be next on the list and their athletic director is bracing for that possibility.
According to On3, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter revealed that he's currently working on a new contract for head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels are currently unbeaten at 6-0 and are the No. 5 team in the country. They were No. 4 last week, but have since been jumped by Cignetti's Hoosiers. It's their highest ranking since 2015.
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Carter even invoked Cignetti's name when addressing his desire to extend Kiffin, pointing out that he'd ideally like to get the deal done before "silly season" when programs will start poaching coaches left and right.
"I'd love to get something done like Indiana did with Curt Cignetti before the silly season starts. We'll see," Carter said.
Carter is right to be worried. Six schools in power conferences have already fired their head coaches, including Ole Miss rival Arkansas. Chances are the Razorbacks won't be the only team in the Southeastern United States looking to pry Kiffin out of Oxford either.
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Job openings could easily open up in places like Florida, Florida State, Auburn and North Carolina just to name a few. And those programs are willing to pay almost any price for college football glory.
Sep 6, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images© Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Keeping Kiffin
In his six years at Ole Miss, Kiffin has re-established himself as one of the top coaches in the sport. He's 50-18 overall with a a respectable 28-16 record in the SEC and has led the team to 10 or more wins in three of his last four seasons. Kiffin has produced a slew of NFL talents as well, making the team more and more desirable to the nation's top recruits on a regular basis.
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While national title and even conference title glory has continued to elude Kiffin, the Rebels have shown considerably more patience with him than some of their rivals would have.
That patience could be rewarded as quickly as this year with the way the Rebels have been playing this season. Carter's instincts of going all-in on Kiffin before his stock rises too high might be the right play.
Will Ole Miss be the next school to give their head coach a long-term extension?
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
