Coaching search rumors swirl as Egg Bowl approaches in 48 hours

Nov 22, 2022 - 9:00 PM

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The Egg Bowl is in about 48 hours, and Ole Miss fans still have to feel a little unsure about coach Lane Kiffin’s future in Oxford.

Reports of Kiffin’s possible resignation and move to Auburn popped up via Twitter last night from WCBI sports director Jon Sokoloff. Ole Miss denied the report according to the latest story from WCBI.

Kiffin himself tweeted that Sokoloff’s sourcing was “news to him” though he did not directly deny interest in the Auburn opening.

As this day has progressed, the staff at Red Cup has heard more rumors on the topic of Kiffin’s departure, but nothing seems to be confirmable or definite at this time.

One story from a source close to the team is a players meeting in Oxford today where Kiffin told the team he had not talked to anyone at Auburn, and he would tell the team if he was leaving. Vague wording if it truly went down like that.

The players and their parents are the ones truly up in the air with all of this. The fans know there will be a coach after Kiffin whenever that happens, but for the seniors on the team about to play in what would be their last game at Vaught-Hemingway, this is not something they asked for or deserve.

The problem that has arisen it seems is that no matter what Kiffin says at this point I’m not sure fans, the media or anyone close to this will believe it. And unfortunately if he stays in Oxford, that trust will have to be repaired over time, and if he goes to Auburn, his legacy will be written in stone as the coach who was always looking for his next gig.

Here’s what I would think if I was a coach or an agent in the SEC or considering an offer in the SEC right now - one massive unknown thing right now is how the landscape will change with Oklahoma and Texas joining. The scheduling is the biggest piece in my opinion where no coach knows what permanent opponents or how it will all shake out. A lot left to be figured out there and it would be reason for some pause to jump into an already competitive SEC or to switch teams not knowing what could change.