Politics just can't seem to keep out of college football this season.
After Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry got involved with the LSU Tigers' coaching search and called out super agent Jimmy Sexton, who represents most of the biggest coaching names in the sport, Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson called out Ole Miss Rebels football coach Lane Kiffin for not committing to stay in Oxford.
"At some point, it’d be nice for our current coach to reciprocate the love and gratitude shown by our administration, players, fan base, and collective. It just shouldn’t be this hard," Watson said of Kiffin.
Now it's starting to feel like Kiffin is a goner.
Lane Kiffin has interest from Florida, LSU, and Auburn
Once elected officials start complaining, you have radical change on the horizon. Watson's call-out feels like one done out of desperation, and it certainly doesn't represent the state of Mississippi well.
Kiffin has several suitors within the SEC that have the money to outbid Ole Miss. While Kiffin didn't want to leave his daughter's school three years ago, his family is growing up and may want a change of scenery.
The likeliest change would be the University of Florida. The Gators are rolling out the red carpet for him and had their fanbase decked in gear with messages on them begging Kiffin to make his way to Gainesville at their matchup with the Rebs this past Saturday.
LSU, despite the Sexton call-out, are in on Kiffin too. While an internal hire of Frank Wilson or an external but still alumni hire like Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard would probably make more sense, the Bayou Bengals could be looking to make a bigger splash than that.
Then, there's the Auburn Tigers, who already got a commitment from Kiffin three years, if only a very temporary one. AU isn't looking to spend big unless it's on the right person, according to John Cohen. It's hard not to see Kiffin as the right kind of guy.
The more pushback Kiffin gets in the Sip, the likelier it is he will dip. Consider it more likely after Watson's X post.