Pete Thamel explains why Lane Kiffin withdrew from Auburn job, chose to remain at Ole Miss

Pete Thamel joined the ESPN College GameDay crew to explain the reasoning why Lane Kiffin won’t be the next Auburn head coach.

While his name was associated with the Tigers job for awhile, Thamel stated that Kiffin’s family wanting to stay in Oxford at Ole Miss was the driving force.

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“I think it’s safe to say this morning that Lane Kiffin’s Auburn candidacy is over, and Hugh Freeze has emerged as the top candidate to become Auburn’s next head coach,” explained Thamel. “Sources told Chris Low and I this morning that Lane has told his staff and officials this morning that he plans to stay. I was told this morning that the pull of family staying in Oxford has become an obstacle for both sides, and the courtship of Lane has cooled for both sides in the last 24 hours. This leaves the door open for Freeze.

“Sources told me that no offer has been made to Freeze yet, and nothing will happen formally until after the Iron Bowl. But the expectation is that Hugh Freeze is going to be the next Auburn head coach. Within the last seven days, the sides have talked generally about contractual terms, but again there’s no formal offer. But Hugh Freeze is the top candidate to become the next Auburn head coach. The administration at Auburn, they love the analytics on Freeze, they love his quarterback development and they think he’s a fit in Auburn, Alabama with his affable nature.”

Nevertheless, nothing has been signed just yet, and things can always change in college football. Still, it doesn’t seem as if Lane Kiffin is leaving Ole Miss for Auburn just yet.

Lane Kiffin pressed directly on Auburn, when he will sign his Ole Miss contract extension

Continuing, the rumors have of course run rampant regarding Lane Kiffin possibly taking the Auburn job. One report, which Kiffin publicly disputed, said he would be resigning from Ole Miss as early as Black Friday to do so. Because of this, it hung over Thanksgiving’s Egg Bowl as a shadow, despite Kiffin’s denials. 

Coaches have used clever language to hide their intentions before. Lincoln Rileyinfamously promised not to leave Oklahoma for LSU, before deciding to leave Oklahoma for USC instead. Because of this, some people have felt Lane Kiffin might be using some careful language too. 

Following the Egg Bowl loss, a reporter decided to directly ask Lane Kiffin, if Auburn offers him its head coaching position, would he anticipate being Ole Miss’ head coach in 2023?

“I do,” Lane Kiffin replied.

In a follow-up question, the same reporter asked what he told his players on Wednesdaywhen he spoke with them.

“I mean, I could easily just say that’s between team meetings that we don’t really talk about that, but I just told them that that report that probably you’re not paying much attention to, but probably your family is, is inaccurate and false reporting,” Lane Kiffin said. “So.”

In these situations, coaches often sign extensions with their current schools. After all, assuming a school wants to keep them, one of the best ways to do that is through a larger financial commitment. Some coaches even know this and will try to use an open job as leverage for an extension. Part of why the Lane Kiffin to Auburn rumors persist is that he hasn’t signed an extension to stay in Oxford. 

Lane Kiffin was then asked about what the timeline was for him to sign a contract extension with Ole Miss if he isn’t going to Auburn after all. 

“I don’t know,” Lane Kiffin said. “I mean, I’ve signed three. So, does the fourth one mean you’re never leaving? So, I don’t know. I’m much more focused and worried about the game than whether you sign another contract, and I’m not acting ungrateful for that, but, again, everybody thinks you sign a contract, well a year ago you said the same thing. Then, here we are again, so.”

Whether or not Lane Kiffin takes the Auburn job remains to be seen. No matter what he decides to do, this has been a fascinating saga in what has been an incredibly unique career.

On3’s Daniel Morrison contributed to this article.