Lane Kiffin has the college football world in the palm of his hands. The whole country is waiting to hear Kiffin's decision regarding his future, which is expected to come on Saturday following Ole Miss' Friday night battle with Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. LSU fans are especially eager to hear what his next move will be, as Kiffin has been linked to the LSU opening since the minute Brian Kelly was fired back on October 26.
Paul Finebaum has LSU fans smiling with latest Lane Kiffin update
But as Kiffin continues to weigh his options between returning to Ole Miss or leaving for LSU or Florida, could another SEC school pop into the Kiffin sweepstakes at the last minute? After suffering a tough loss to Oklahoma two weeks ago, Kalen DeBoer's name has been floating around as a potential add to the 2025 coaching carousel. Those talks will only be exacerbated if DeBoer loses the Iron Bowl this weekend.
Could Lane Kiffin replace Kalen DeBoer at Alabama?
With talks of a DeBoer departure, Lane Kiffin's name has popped up as a potential candidate for the Crimson Tide. Joseph Goodman of AL.com believes Kiffin wants to be in Tuscaloosa, which would certainly add a major twist to the ongoing saga surrounding the Ole Miss coach's future. Should DeBoer leave - perhaps for the Penn State opening - Goodman states that Kiffin could be an ideal replacement.
"We all love a good SEC X-file, and this coaching cycle’s greatest conspiracy theory goes like this. If Alabama loses to Auburn on Saturday night, and misses the College Football Playoff, then Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer could pack his bags for Penn State. That would leave Alabama needing a new coach and Kiffin waiting to swoop in and save the day."Joseph Goodman
It certainly is a bit of a conspiracy theory at this point in time, but as we've seen before, anything can happen when it comes to the college football coaching carousel. Kiffin seems to be deciding between Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida, but adding Alabama to the mix would create even more chaos to the situation.
"Truly, Kiffin wants to be at Alabama, his rejuvenated career’s second dream job after he was fired from his original love, USC," Goodman adds. Kiffin's career was famously revived when Nick Saban brought him on board in 2013 after Kiffin was fired from USC. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2024, which is given annually to the top assistant coach in the country. Kiffin then coached three seasons at Florida Atlantic from 2017-19 before taking the Ole Miss job.
Kiffin is now in his sixth season in Oxford, the longest he has been in one place in his career. He has discussed many times how happy he is at Ole Miss, but a departure could be on the horizon. Kiffin will make headlines no matter what he decides, but going to Alabama would be a wild twist that sends the college football world into a frenzy.