Latest news with #LaneKiffin
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
SEC coaches who could leave for the NFL
The conversation of whether Nick Saban will return to coaching became huge news last week after his former quarterback started the rumor during SEC Media Days that he was considering a return. And while Saban made it clear he is happy at least for now with where he is, several SEC coaches could be in the mix for an NFL job in the future. Lane Kiffin The Ole Miss head coach did coach the Raiders at one point and wasn't horrible. At the time, management (meaning Al Davis) didn't like him, and he was too young and immature for the job, but now that he's grown older, he seems to have become a better head coach and has matured. Kiffin has had opportunities to leave Ole Miss for other college coaching jobs, but you get the feeling that at some point, if something bigger and better comes along, Kiffin is gone. The only question is, will it be for a bigger college gig or back to the NFL. Steve Sarkisian Out of the names mentioned, Sark might be the guy who could be NFL-bound soon because of Arch Manning. Sarkisian is a quarterback guru, and if Manning has the type of season many think he will, you could easily see a scenario where he and Manning wind up on the same team together as a package deal. Maybe to the New Orleans Saints or the Dallas Cowboys. Stay tuned. Kirby Smart Since Nick Saban is no longer coaching, Smart is likely considered the best coach in college football. He's won two national championships, three SEC titles, and has sent several players to the NFL. Smart seems to be happy at his alma mater, but you have to wonder at some point, is he going to get an itch to try the NFL? It's not like he'd have to go far; the Atlanta Falcons are right up the road, and with nearly 30 of his players being arrested since he's been head coach, he might head to the NFL sooner than we think.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Saban doesn't slam door on coaching again
Lane Kiffin thinks Nick Saban will coach again. Nick Saban had a chance to slam the door during a Friday morning appearance on Fox News. He didn't. Via Mike Rodak of Saban was pressed on whether he'd coached again. Saban started with a joke. "I never really had a thought about getting back into coaching until two days ago," Saban said. "Miss Terry said I had to run the sweeper in the entire downstairs. While I was running the sweeper, the thought occurred to me, 'When you were a coach, you had a heck of a lot better job than this.' So that's the only time I considered it." Still, he would not say, "I'm not going to be the Alabama, or any other program, coach." (Again.) "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban said. (He presumably meant "entice.") That's a no, for now. Not a no for good. And it comes only two days after Colin Cowherd floated the idea of Saban returning to Cleveland and coaching Arch Manning in what would be the latest Browns quarterback reboot. It would be very odd to see him return to the NFL. His two years in Miami were not great, and he became miserable there. Of course, the disaster happened in part because the Dolphins (with Saban running the show) stupidly said "no thanks" to Drew Brees. If Saban could end up in a place with a franchise quarterback, maybe he would try to rectify the lone blemish in his coaching career. Best college football coach of all time. Meh NFL coach. With the right quarterback, Saban could be a lot better than meh.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lane Kiffin's Stunning Daughter, Presley, Goes Viral For Volleyball Photo
Lane Kiffin's Stunning Daughter, Presley, Goes Viral For Volleyball Photo originally appeared on The Spun. While Lane Kiffin is gearing up for another college football season, the daughter of the Ole Miss Rebels head coach is getting ready for a season of her own. Presley Kiffin, the daughter of Lane and Layla Kiffin, is a college volleyball player at USC. Lane Kiffin, of course, coached at USC from 2010-13, before getting fired. His daughter, Presley, announced her commitment to Southern Cal back in 2024. "I am beyond grateful to announce that I will be continuing my athletic and academic career at the University of Southern California. A huge thank you to the USC coaching staff for this amazing opportunity. I want to thank all my coaches, family, friends, and especially @mizunolongbeach for their incredible support and guidance throughout the past couple years. So excited be a Trojan! FIGHT ON❤️💛," she announced on Instagram. Presley Kiffin, a Class of 2025 recruit, is hoping to make an impact for the USC Trojans during the upcoming season. Presley Kiffin, who is from Long Beach, California, played in high school and at the club level. She played for Mizuno Long Beach at the club level while attending Mater Dei at the high school level. The USC Trojans are currently gearing up for their 2025-26 season. Presley Kiffin turned heads in a sizzling volleyball photo alongside her teammates. Lane Kiffin must be a very proud father to have a daughter who is not only smart enough to attend USC, but also athletic enough to play for one of the top volleyball schools in the country. The Ole Miss Rebels head coach will surely be busy with football this fall, but the veteran college football coach is definitely going to be very interested in the USC Trojans' 2025-26 women's volleyball season, as well. We look forward to watching her play this year. Lane Kiffin's Stunning Daughter, Presley, Goes Viral For Volleyball Photo first appeared on The Spun on Jul 23, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Preseason SEC hot seat index: Plenty of coaches enter 2025 with varying levels of heat
ATLANTA — Hugh Freeze normally likes to talk. Not so this week at SEC media days. The Auburn coach gave short answers, uninterested in offering up long, introspective answers on the state of his program. Freeze acted like a guy who, well, maybe had a tee time. The background for those who missed it: Freeze posted 11 rounds of golf to the U.S. Golf Association database in June, as uncovered. This revelation came at a bad time for Freeze, whose recruiting class lost three recruits and fell to 78th in the nation. Advertisement Freeze's golfing became a sore point for some Auburn fans, and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin seemed to needle Freeze on social media. When asked about it this week, Kiffin at first did a version of 'who me?' But as Kiffin insisted he was just innocently talking about fishing, he got in his shot: '(It) had nothing to do with his golf game, which sounds like he's doing amazing at that. That's great for him.' Being a punchline for your peers probably isn't a great sign for job security. Entering Year 3, Freeze appears squarely on the coaching hot seat — but is far from alone in the SEC. In the conference where 'It Just Means More' often leads to more … buyouts, there were no head coaches fired during or after the 2024 season. That's not unheard of in the SEC, but it likely means this year will make up for it. The hot seat is clogged. Less than half of the SEC's head coaches would seem safe this year, barring some sort of scandal: Kiffin, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Texas' Steve Sarkisian, Tennessee's Josh Heupel, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, South Carolina's Shane Beamer and Texas A&M's Mike Elko. That leaves nine other coaches who, to varying degrees, need to win this year. Here's a look at the SEC's preseason hot seat index: The inspired — or desperate — decision to bring Bobby Petrino back as offensive coordinator quietly paid off last year: Arkansas improved from last to third in the SEC in offensive yards per play. That helped the Razorbacks go 7-6 and fend off the vultures for another season. Pittman has winning seasons in three of the past five years, and still looks great compared to the disaster he inherited. Essentially, he has the program back to Bret Bielema territory — Bielema also had three winning seasons in five years, but was never better than 8-5 (Pittman does have a 9-4 in his pocket). But how long before Arkansas decides it needs to get back to, say, how things were under Petrino before his unfortunate motorcycle ride? Advertisement The dean of SEC coaches is coming off a clunker of a 4-8 season, which might have been an opportune time for Stoops and his bosses to shake hands and move on. The fact he didn't speaks either to Stoops' competitive fire to get the program back to a solid level, or apathy in the administration. Or maybe both. This season doesn't look too promising, unless new quarterback Zach Calzada — now on his fourth team (and third SEC school) in seven college seasons — is this year's Diego Pavia. That doesn't seem likely. But Stoops, whose teams are known for defense and hard-nosed offense, could still get this team back to respectability. Lebby has only had one season, but it was pretty bad: 2-10, and 0-8 in the SEC. This week, Lebby was asked, given how Mississippi State did well in baseball and men's and women's basketball, when he would get football back? Lebby replied by pointing out that the school's softball team also did well. 'It's our turn to go do our job,' Lebby said. Or at least not be terrible. That may be tough, given another hard schedule and a roster showing the effect of three coaches in four years. Two seasons may seem an extremely quick hook at Mississippi State, but Lebby is replacing Zach Arnett, who only got one year. Athletic director Zac Selmon did that because he wanted to hire his own guy, and would probably give Lebby more time. So Lebby had better hope Selmon doesn't leave for, say, the AD job at Oklahoma, where he worked for more than a decade. Venables has had two losing seasons in three years, and three out of four would mean the end. But he looks primed for improvement, bringing in QB John Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle from Washington State. Better health at receiver should help too. 'You choose to come to Oklahoma to coach or to play on the biggest stage, in the biggest games, and you accept everything that comes with that,' Venables said Wednesday. 'In the new era of college football, we expect to be a program that is year-in, year-out consistently a Playoff contender.' Advertisement Getting to that level this year may be enough to get Venables another year. That and a $42 million buyout. If it's a close call, a complication is the pending retirement of AD Joe Castiglione, who will step down once his replacement is hired. The timing of that, and who it is, could be key. Or Venables could just make the decision easy by winning. Asked about the attention on his golf game, Freeze answered: 'It's something I enjoy doing, but I assure you it does not take away from my time working to take Auburn back to the top of the college football world.' That's not out of the realm of possibility this year, especially if QB Jackson Arnold turns things around after a rough season at Oklahoma (which may have had more to do with injuries around him). Freeze has recruited well the previous two years, and brought in good transfers, including receiver Eric Singleton from Georgia Tech. Still, the first two years have not been great. Auburn went 5-7 last year with four home losses, including California, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. That followed an Auburn debut season when Freeze went 6-7, with a late-season home loss to New Mexico State. And that followed Freeze's hire being somewhat controversial, given his checkered history. So as much as the golfing thing may seem funny, it also shows the Auburn fan base isn't in love with Freeze, and he has work to do this year. The vibes in Gainesville are definitely good, and Napier has turned a corner after winning five of seven to end 2024. After going through the media gantlet on Wednesday, Napier acknowledged it was a nice change from last year. 'A little more narrative about turning around, than how do you turn it around, if that makes sense,' Napier said, adding: 'Look, we're preparing to be dropped in the deep end of the ocean again. That's the world we live in. The good thing is we have a team that's prepared, they know what winning football looks like.' Still, things could go sideways again, especially with a daunting schedule and the health of QB DJ Lagway still a question. And Napier's buyout is down to $20 million. He may not need a College Football Playoff appearance, but he does need to keep momentum in the right direction. Advertisement The natives in Baton Rouge are restless, and the optics of Marcus Freeman doing well at Notre Dame don't help. Kelly does seem to feel the urgency, putting pressure on himself to end the five-game losing streak in openers. Still, Kelly has a $55 million buyout. That's a lot to pay if LSU is 'merely' in 9-3 or 8-4 territory. If things get worse than that, look out. LSU still has a lot of talent, notably with QB Garrett Nussmeier, and the defense could finally be better this year. With Clemson and Florida in the first three weeks of the season, his hot-seat status could shift quickly in either direction. DeBoer, like Elko, is only entering his second season, and had a better record than Elko did at Texas A&M. But everything is relative. DeBoer was asked Wednesday if his first season (9-4, no Playoff appearance) met the Alabama standard. 'If you internally ask us, no,' DeBoer said. 'We fell short of making the Playoffs. It's as simple as that, right? Giving yourself a chance to go compete for a championship.' The good news is DeBoer has back offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, his right-hand man when Washington went to the 2023 national championship game. The bad news is their quarterback isn't Michael Penix Jr., or even Jalen Milroe. It's likely to be Ty Simpson, more of an unknown quantity. That said, there's still plenty of talent, DeBoer has won a lot of football games in his career — including last year — and he's carrying himself in a good way in Tuscaloosa. He should be fine. He should also try to win more than nine games, just to be sure. Last year was great: A winning season, beating Alabama. Lea's voice cracked on Monday as he talked about how far his program had come, using the example of a 2021 game when Vanderbilt was down 35-0 in the first quarter to Georgia before losing 62-0. Advertisement 'I remember the sun beating down that afternoon and it's just like you get put in the position of, are you going to coach the team or blame the team?' Lea said. 'All of that was beating back my ego, and really, it was a way of me learning that it's not about me. That ultimately, I'm here in the service of something. And also, without that, I don't know that I could appreciate these breakthrough moments we're having now.' That breakthrough 2024 season almost certainly bought Lea some time to keep building the program the way he wants. That doesn't mean he can afford to immediately go back to the days of 2-10. Given the return of Pavia, that seems unlikely. (Top photos: Justin Ford, Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prayers Are Pouring In For Lane Kiffin On Wednesday
Prayers Are Pouring In For Lane Kiffin On Wednesday originally appeared on The Spun. Prayers are pouring in for Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin on Wednesday. The 50-year-old head coach announced the passing of his mother, Robin Charlene Kiffin, on Wednesday. Robin Kiffin, the wife of former football coach Monte Kiffin, passed away on June 17, 2025, in her home at Elison Assisted Living in Oxford, Mississippi. Kiffin shared the news of her passing on Wednesday. "Robin spent her childhood in Nebraska and graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School in 1962. She went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska with a degree in teaching. Robin spent 25 years living in the Tampa, FL area and prior to that moved many times to cheer on the various football teams her husband, Monte, was coaching. She made dear friends in all the places they lived, including; Nebraska, Arkansas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota, Florida, Tennessee, California, Texas, and Mississippi," her obituary announced. "Robin lived her last four years of life in Oxford, MS, where she was surrounded by her family and friends. She loved cheering on her sons and the Ole Miss Rebels football team, as well as spending as much time as she could with her kids and grandchildren. Robin had various jobs during her life but her pride and joy was taking care of her husband and children. She had a deep sense of pride for her family and loved to brag about them to others." College football fans are thinking of Kiffin on Wednesday afternoon. "Very sorry to hear. Comfort to you and your family. May your mom rest in peace," one fan wrote. "Sorry for your loss," one fan added. "🙏 Coach!" one fan added. "I'm so sorry!" one fan added. The Kiffin family released a statement. "The family would like to thank Elison Assisted Living for their incredible support as well as Waller Funeral Home in Oxford, MS. Please join us for a Celebration of Life to be held at Pinelake Church (5202 George 'Pat' Patterson Pkwy, Oxford, MS) on July 24th at 10:00am. Following the service, the family would like to invite you to join them for a light lunch at the Country Club of Oxford (300 Fazio Dr). The family will also have a reception to celebrate Robin's time spent in Florida on July 25th from 1:00-3:00pm at Salt Rock Grill (19325 Gulf Blvd, Indian Shores, FL)," they said. Our thoughts are with the Kiffin family during this tough time. Prayers Are Pouring In For Lane Kiffin On Wednesday first appeared on The Spun on Jul 16, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
