The Ole Miss Rebels were reportedly close to losing head coach Lane Kiffin to another top NCAA football program earlier this year.
In January, legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement after a glorious 17-year run with the legendary program. Alabama moved quickly to land his replacement, hiring Kalen DeBoer after he led the Washington Huskies to a national championship game appearance.
According to a report from ESPN’s Chris Low, the Florida State University Seminoles feared that they would potentially lose beloved head coach Mike Norvell to Alabama. If that had transpired, the Seminoles would have made a push for Kiffin, Low reports:
“In fact, in the wee hours of that Friday morning, the fear among Florida State officials was that Norvell was close to trading his FSU garnet for Alabama crimson. Sources told ESPN that Florida State was poised to move quickly if that happened and that Kiffin would be a prime candidate to replace Norvell.”
Per Low, Norvell wouldn’t confirm if he had received an offer from Alabama to replace Saban. At any rate, the Seminoles and Rebels were both able to breathe giant sighs of relief following the news that DeBoer was getting the Crimson Tide position.
Kiffin joined the Rebels in 2020 following a three-year tenure as head coach of Florida Atlantic. Since taking over the Ole Miss program, Kiffin has compiled a 34-15-0 record, highlighted by 2020 Outback Bowl and 2023 Peach Bowl victories.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
The 48-year-old Kiffin coached the NFL’s Oakland Raiders from 2007 to 2008 before beginning a much more successful tenure in the NCAA. He has also coached Tennessee and USC, posting a 96-49 record in the college ranks.
