Ole Miss Rebels football coach Lane Kiffin is no longer being projected to jump to the Florida Gators, or any SEC with a job opening, like the Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers, or even the Arkansas Razorbacks. Now, the hot rumor is Kiffin reuniting with Jaxson Dart as the New York Giants' head coach.
A to Z Sports' Zach Ragan predicts Kiffin going back to the NFL after a failed stint with the Oakland Raiders back in 2007 and 2008, and assuming control of Big Blue after John Mara and Co. dismissed Brian Daboll this week.
"Speaking of Kiffin, I don’t think it would be a surprise to see him make the jump to the NFL. Kiffin has previous NFL experience as the head coach of the Raiders nearly 20 years ago. I could see Kiffin making this move to get away from NIL/transfer headaches in college football. This move would also reunite Kiffin with former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart," Ragan wrote.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach Marcus Freeman has also been linked to the Giants' opening. The opportunity in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is moving the needle more than the Tennessee Titans' opening, which has been open since Brian Callahan was fired in mid-October.
Another potential NFL opening that could interest Kiffin is the Miami Dolphins, in the event the franchise dismisses Mike McDaniel after already firing GM Chris Grier in October. Kiffin helped recruit Tua Tagovailoa to the Alabama Crimson Tide, though Tua stayed in Tuscaloosa after Kiffin left for a head coaching job with the FAU Owls. It's a distant connection, but the Giants may be more inclined to sign an NFL head coaching veteran like Mike McCarthy or promote Mike Kafka, the current interim head coach.
Kiffin's coaching future has been in question since Kiffin arrived in Oxford, Mississippi. He's built something respectable with the Rebs, but if they can't get over the top, he may go back to his job-jumping ways.
His family is grown up. He's not going to stay The Grove forever if the program is stagnant. Which, for a while now, it's been.