Brady Quinn: Miami wants the buzz Lane Kiffin brought to Ole Miss

Could Lane Kiffin actually make the move to Miami if that head coaching position opened up? There were rumors earlier in the week that Kiffin would be interested in going to Miami, although the position isn’t open just yet. But if it did open up, Brady Quinn believes that Kiffin would be a perfect target for Miami.

Quinn pointed to Kiffin’s ability to turn around Florida Atlantic’s program earlier in his career, in addition to the job he is currently doing at Ole Miss.

“The transition from what was before to what happened after with Lane Kiffin was dramatic,” Quinn first said of Kiffin’s FAU days. “And what he’s done at Ole Miss, bringing them back to be competitive, relevant. They’re talked about within the SEC. Miami is looking for that. I mean Florida State and Miami played this past week. Did anyone talk about it? Did anyone care outside the state of Florida? No. I mean it’s sad because I grew up and this was the matchup like the Ohio State-Michigan and all these other great rivalries. That was one that you circled because you knew how good both programs were. They’ve both taken a dip and a decline.

“I think Miami is desperate to get back to where they need to be. And Lane can bring that sort of buzz in this climate in college football in 2021 back to the U in my opinion.”

Kiffin has led Ole Miss to an 8-2 and a top 15 ranking at this point of the season while Miami currently sits at 5-5.

If Manny Diaz is let go, Kiffin would likely be Miami’s top choice

The future of Manny Diaz at Miami is uncertain. Miami parting ways with athletic director Blake James likely doesn’t bode well for Miami. James hired Diaz back in 2018.

Nevin Shapiro, a former Miami booster, has reportedly told Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel that Kiffin is Miami’s top choice to replace Diaz.

“I texted my best Miami source, or certainly the most interesting Miami source in Nevin Shapiro,” stated Wetzel. “Nevin is claiming that the top candidate is Lane Kiffin with Randy Shannon as the defensive coordinator.”

Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde thinks that Kiffin would make a ton of sense for Miami.

“Well, I can certainly see them wanting Lane,” answered Forde. “It always cracks me up though but this is what the boosters do at some places, including Miami. We’ll name your staff for you as we go. Here’s who you need — you have to hire Lane, you’ve gotta have Randy Shannon because he knows the program and he recruits south Florida. You don’t get a say in the matter. That’s how these things work out.”