Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has emerged as a top candidate for several high-profile openings across the SEC. However, according to ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate, Kiffin may be considering opportunities outside of college football as he continues to contemplate his coaching future.
The obvious potential landing spot suggested by most if Kiffin were to head to the NFL has been the New York Giants. Kiffin and rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart have a connection dating back to Dart’s time at Ole Miss, creating an intriguing opportunity for him to follow his former star quarterback.
Whether it be with the Giants or another NFL coaching job that emerges down the stretch of the 2025 NFL season, Pate believes Kiffin is one of many high-profile college coaches who are entertaining NFL offers.
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“Yeah. I think he is (considering the NFL),” said Pate during an appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast”. “I think several of them are. I think there’s some names considering the NFL that would totally and completely put jaws on the ground if the names ever got public. I think these guys are always considering the NFL.
“Now, you’d never get the truth out of most of them, but, yeah. I mean, look. You know the kind of mentality it takes to succeed at the highest level of college football, especially if you specialize on a side of the ball. It goes hand in hand with the kind of mentality that thinks, ‘I could win the NFL, I could win on Sundays. I want to test myself against the best. I want to see how my offense does.'”
Unlike some college coaches, Kiffin knows what it feels like to be the lead man of an NFL team. Kiffin famously served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007 and 2008 before being relieved of his duties.
Due to this, Pate believes that Kiffin perhaps wants to right his wrong during his time with the Raiders by returning to the NFL coaching ranks.
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“You’ve got the Oakland Raiders chapter in his past,” added Pate. “You don’t think he wants to make good on that? Dude, I’m a believer. (Nick) Saban never did it. I’m a believer that he wanted to make good on the Miami Dolphins’ part. He didn’t like all of the other extracurricular that comes along with the NFL relative to college.
“I think this is really what the decision comes down to, is what do you personally value the most beyond football? Like, some guys hate recruiting. They’re looking at the first exit door to get to the NFL. Others? They think it’s their wheelhouse. They think that’s one of their strongest suits. They actually love being around young people.”
Kiffin has ultimately set himself up in an advantageous position where just about anything is on the table for him. So it will certainly be interesting to see if any of the enticing coaching possibilities around both college football and the NFL are enough to get him to part ways with Ole Miss.
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