You’d think pulling $9 million a year would keep a coach chillin’, living the high life with zero worries, right? Not if you’re Lane Kiffin. Ole Miss might be low-key breaking the bank to keep him, but the spotlight’s burning hotter than ever. Everybody’s got something to say about that fat paycheck, especially when whispers about Austin Simmons’ rough situation start echoing through the SEC grapevine. Buckle up, because this one’s about to get wild.

On March 13th, SEC Squad were tossing around opinions like footballs during spring practice, debating which coaches are “under-paid, fairly paid, or over-paid.” The big question was: is Lane Kiffin, already pulling in a $9 million annual base salary with a 6-year contract extension signed in 2022, worth even more? In a segment, Steve Willis from Locked On Ole Miss straight-up gassed Lane Kiffin, saying, “Lane Kiffin is worth 15 million annually, as much money as he’s making Ole Miss right now. Yeah, whatever he wants, he can have. It’s good—it’s not my money.”

But, of course, Zac Blacberry from Locked on Auburn wasn’t buying the hype. “Can Ole Miss afford 15 million a year?” he shot back, like a defensive end blowing up a busted play. Steve Willis doubled down, though: “It depends on if the rich guys keep deciding to be interested, and right now, they are. As long as we’re winning, they’re going to do it. As soon as we stop winning—just like everywhere else—it’s going to slow down, and then they might struggle to find the amount.”

Now, if we’re talking W’s, Lane’s been serving them up pretty consistently. Since 2019, he’s been making Ole Miss relevant again. 44-18 overall? Not bad. Multiple 10-win seasons, including a record-breaking 11-2 run with a Peach Bowl victory over Penn State in 2023. That’s all cool and everything, but let’s not pretend like Ole Miss is out here hoisting championship trophies. They still gotta get over that playoff hump, and this year’s lineup ain’t making that any easier, and to top it off, Austin Simmons’ case makes it worse.

Austin Simmons might be the next man up for Ole Miss, but the poor kid’s stepping into a straight-up hurricane. According to Steven Lassan from SEC, the Rebels’ offensive line is basically Swiss cheese right now. Just four returning starters. Four is crazy; out of 22, it is diabolical. And when two of them, tackle Jayden Williams and Diego Pounds, are the supposed anchors of a line that couldn’t even crack four yards per carry last season? Yeah, you’ve got problems. And we’re not talking minor cracks—we’re talking Grand Canyon-level gaps.

“They have so many ho-es to fill, just four returning starters,” Lassen laid it out plain as day. “But I think you could talk yourself into a few things. So, I’m not that worried about quarterback with Austin Simmons stepping in…And also, the offensive line, which was, I think, arguably the—the weak point of that team last year.”

And here’s the kicker—Ole Miss is basically relying on a patchwork line and a hope-and-a-prayer run game to keep Simmons from getting turned into a pancake. Ulysses Bentley IV? Yeah, he had some flashes, but man was basically a walking injury report. Now, while Logan Diggs is supposed to be the RB1 bringing the heat and stiff arms, nobody’s exactly holding their breath. The rest of the running back room? It’s a bunch of maybes and could-bes, including transfers. Alright, so let’s say Austin Simmons goes crazy, lights up the SEC, and proves everybody wrong—does that make Lane Kiffin worth that $15 mil?

Is Lane Kiffin really worth $15M a year?

Now here’s where things get spicy. Nobody’s making $15 million a year in college football right now. Kirby Smart? He’s the highest-paid with a fat 10-year, $130 million deal at Georgia, clocking in at $13-ish million a year. Dabo Swinney’s pulling $11.1 million per year at Clemson. Steve Sarkisian’s raking in $10.6 million at Texas. You get the point—these people have natty titles, or at the very least, playoff runs to their names.

Lane Kiffin? His Ole Miss squad has been fun to watch, sure, but playoffs? Nah, they’re still waiting on that invite. And let’s be real, the schedule coming up ain’t looking friendly. Georgia State’s the warm-up, but then it’s nothing but murderers’ row. They’re hosting Arkansas, Tulane, Washington State, LSU, and Florida at home. But the road games? Kentucky (They literally lost and fumbled the playoff against the Wildcats), Georgia, Oklahoma? That’s straight-up vicious. And you know the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State is always gonna be a backyard brawl.

With Jaxson Dart and Tre Harris off to the NFL, Austin Simmons needs all the help he can get. But if that offensive line doesn’t step up, all that money they’re throwing at Kiffin might as well be Monopoly cash. Sure, Lane’s done a lot for Ole Miss. But $15 million? Man, that’s asking a lot from an HC who’s never even sniffed the playoffs.

If Kiffin wants to even think about justifying that $15 million talk, he’s got to pull a miracle out of his hat. With a weak offensive line, a run game that’s mostly guesswork, and Austin Simmons walking into the fire as QB1, the Rebels better hope their rich backers are feeling real generous. ‘Cause if things go south? That $15 million dream’s gonna disappear faster than a bag of chips at The Grove.