The Gators are in deep waters with the situation of Billy Napier in their hands. The head coach hasn’t delivered an exceptional result in his past two seasons. In his ongoing 3rd season, the team has witnessed 2 losses already, depriving them of any chances of a playoff spot this year. Before the start of the season, the fans expected Napier to be sacked, but the organization has yet to take a harsh step and cut him off the program. Despite any final answers regarding Napier’s future, the speculations about his potential replacements have already begun. Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels is dashing up front in the race.

On the 18th September episode of the ‘J.D. Pickell’s show’, the host went on to give his own thoughts regarding the possibility of Kiffin coming to Gainesville. According to Pickell, the Gators will need to make some major compromises if they plan on bringing Kiffin to the team since his coaching style is something that might not be quite conventional.

As per Pickell, the Gators can’t “half-heartedly” hire Kiffin since he could bring a drastic revamp over the program and said, “I think honestly, you need to give him the control that he needs to have. Because by the looks of things, what he’s done at Ole Miss, you give Lane Kiffin control, it should work. It should work. But are you able to surrender that control? Are you able to stomach the way that he’s going to do for a short period of time?” these are the questions of the hour and one that will leave the management of the Florida Gators scratching their hands on whether it’s a good decision or not. As of now, Kiffin might not jump on the offer to leave his job in Mississippi to head to Florida since he has everything going well for him.

Lane Kiffin should not leave his job at Ole Miss Rebels, as per analysts

The HC for the Ole Miss Rebels has been with the team for over 4 years now and will be playing his 5th season with them this year. As of now, his overall record with the team stands at 37-15, which isn’t too bad but not exceptional either. The 2023 season saw Kiffin lead the team to an 11-2 record and currently hasn’t lost a game this season either, which is a testament to the coach’s abilities and how well it works. This sort of a coach would be perfect for the Gators who are currently struggling to find their place among the big giants of the NCAA.

As Napier’s job hangs in the balance, Kiffin’s name is one of the top candidates for the HC job supposedly. Yet, according to ESPN’s Rece Davis, he’d be leaving a “better job” with Ole Miss if he chooses to come join the Gators. Furthermore, he added, “As I said earlier I’m not the biggest fan of this but I also can’t ignore the obvious. You can’t ignore the obvious and pretend they won’t go after Lane Kiffin. As I sit here right now, Lane Kiffin has a better job right now, and he is at best making a lateral move.” Thus, the Gators could be a good pick for Kiffin but not when the HC is already doing so well with the Ole Miss Rebels at the moment, which could very possibly be a playoff team this season.

If you’re interested in knowing more about college football and the current NIL landscape, do check out this ES Think Tank episode with Doug Sanders.