In the weeks since Penn State fired James Franklin, college football has continued to lose its collective mind. Florida expectedly fired Billy Napier, creating another major job opening for the Nittany Lions to contend with, then, after a Week 9 second-half blowout at the hands of Texas A&M, LSU fired Brian Kelly.
With LSU and Florida both open, Penn State is, realistically, the third most appealing job opening in the cycle. That might be a tough reality to swallow, but considering the resources and recruiting bases of those two SEC powerhouses, it’s hard to imagine a top head coaching candidate choosing Happy Valley over Baton Rouge or Gainesville. That’s what makes Lane Kiffin’s recent explanation so important for Penn State.
To Ole Miss fans dismay, Kiffin didn’t hint that he was staying in Oxford
After Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels went into Norman and came out with a convincing win over No. 13 Oklahoma in Week 9, Kiffin was caught on camera, supposedly, saying “I’m not f***ing leaving” a la Leonardo DiCaprio in his portrayal of Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Ole Miss fans pounced on the video, taking it as an assurance that Kiffin, easily the hottest name on the coaching carousel, was staying put in Oxford rather than bolting for Florida, or even LSU, which has opened since that video surfaced.
However, Kiffin provided some clarity for those comments that were caught on camera.
“That’s not what I said, I’m sorry to tell you,” He told reporters at an early-week press conference when asked about the video. “I said we’ll be back here to this stadium. It was just one of those in-the-moment things, but it wasn’t what some people think I said.”
Lane Kiffin could throw a wrench in Penn State’s coaching search
While it may not seem relevant because Kiffin is unlikely to leave the SEC and is not a realistic candidate for Penn State, it’s fantastic news for athletic director Pat Kraft in his coaching search.
If Kiffin is still on the board for Florida or LSU, and ultimately takes either of those jobs this offseason, then at least one of those programs won’t need to dip into Penn State’s pool of candidates. The Nittany Lions’ worst-case scenario is that Kiffin stays put in Oxford, prompting Florida and LSU to pursue candidates like Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, or even Matt Rhule from Nebraska.
Rhule to Penn State feels like a forgone conclusion, considering his connection to Kraft from their time at Temple. Kiffin staying put either makes that more likely because Drinkwitz or other top candidates are no longer options for Kraft, or potentially even jeopardizes Rhule’s return to Happy Valley if he becomes a candidate for either of those jobs.