Mike Florio ,
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On Friday, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said he’d make a decision about his future on Saturday. As of Friday night, Kiffin was lining up his coaching staff at LSU.
On Saturday, no decision was announced, as Kiffin reportedly tried to fit a Bayou Bengal through the eye of a needle — allowing him to coach Mississippi through the College Football Playoff before officially leaving for LSU.
Now, ESPN.com reports that LSU is “expected” to hire Kiffin on Sunday. Per the report, the contract was not signed as of late Saturday night. However, ESPN.com adds that it “would be a shock” if Kiffin doesn’t scribble his signature on the document.
It’s expected to be a seven-year deal that pays Kiffin $12 million per year, with the potential for bonuses. (Given former LSU coach Brian Kelly’s recent experience on the way out, it would be wise for Kiffin’s agents and lawyers to include clear and unambiguous language regarding the “without cause” termination process.)
ESPN.com also reports that Kiffin will conduct a 10:00 a.m. meeting with his players. An announcement about his future will follow.
Saturday’s delay possibly traces to the possibility that Ole Miss could qualify for a berth in the SEC championship, with Kiffin sticking around for one more week. If Auburn had managed to upset Alabama on Saturday night, that would have happened.
The notion that Kiffin would stay for the looming Mississippi playoff run never made sense. He’ll have a new job to do, and LSU will want him getting to work ASAFP.
From Mississippi’s perspective, ESPN.com notes that the Rebels don’t want Kiffin to have further access to the program’s players, given that the next transfer portal opens on January 2. Also, any success Mississippi has in the playoffs could become (as ESPN.com put it) a “commercial” for LSU and Kiffin.
For those reasons, it’s imperative that the powers-that-be choke off the ability of programs to pursue coaches with other programs before their seasons have ended. These very real legitimate business considerations make it even more impractical for a program to keep its coach around one second after the coach has signed a contract to eventually jump to another school.
Once the coach is going to jump, his current team’s only option is to give him a two-handed shove and say, “ Get out .”
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