STARKVILLE, Miss. — Lane Kiffin said he’ll decide Saturday whether he will return as Ole Miss‘ coach in 2026 or take another job, presumably at LSU, which is trying to poach him from its SEC rival with a lucrative contract offer that will make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

Kiffin, while speaking to reporters after the No. 7 Rebels’ 38-19 victory at Mississippi State in Friday’s Egg Bowl at Davis Wade Stadium, would only say that he’ll have to make a decision one way or the other, after Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce said they needed an answer by Saturday.

“I feel like I’ve got to,” Kiffin said.

When Kiffin was asked if he had made up his mind about where he’ll be coaching next season, he said, “Yeah, I haven’t. Maybe that surprises you. But, you know, I’ve got to do some praying and figure this thing out.”

Kiffin said he planned to attend his son’s high school playoff game in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Friday night. Knox Kiffin is Oxford High’s starting quarterback.

“Tonight, I’m going to go be a dad and watch a more important game to me,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin wasn’t sure what time he would make a decision Saturday.

“There’s a lot [that goes] into it,” Kiffin said. “It’s a hard decision. You guys have them all the time. You’ve got to make decisions about jobs you take and where you move, and we get paid a lot so I understand we’re under a lot of spotlight and scrutiny.”

Kiffin said he regretted not being able to speak to his father, Monte Kiffin, while trying to make one of the most important decisions of his career. The longtime NFL defensive coordinator died in July 2024. He was 84.

Kiffin, 50, has sought the advice of former Alabama coach Nick Saban and Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll, his former boss at USC, the past few weeks.

ESPN reported earlier Friday that Florida, which was also courting Kiffin, is now focused on other candidates in its search because the Gators believe he’s more interested in other opportunities.

Carter and Boyce met with Kiffin a week ago in Oxford, Mississippi, and the sides came to an understanding that Kiffin would make up his mind the day after the Egg Bowl.

If the Egg Bowl was Kiffin’s last game as Ole Miss’ coach, it was a fitting end to one of the most successful tenures in school history.

As speculation about Kiffin’s future continued to swirl over the past two weeks, the Rebels rolled past their rivals for their fifth win in the past six meetings in the heated series. The Rebels had 545 yards of offense, as quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passed for 359 yards with four touchdowns.

The Rebels (11-1, 7-1 SEC) all but secured a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. They’ll have to wait another day to find out whether they’ll play in next week’s SEC championship game in Atlanta.

No. 3 Texas A&M would have to fall at No. 16 Texas on Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) and No. 10 Alabama would have to lose at Auburn in Saturday’s Iron Bowl (7:30 p.m. ET/ABC) for the Rebels to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.

And, of course, Ole Miss fans will be waiting Saturday to find out which coaches will be on the sideline for the CFP, which might begin with a first-round game at home on Dec. 19 or 20.

If Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, former New York Giants coach Joe Judge would likely serve as the Rebels’ interim coach in the CFP, sources told ESPN.

In the midst of a historic season for Vanderbilt, the school agreed to a new contract with coach Clark Lea with the aim of keeping Vanderbilt competitive with the top of the SEC.

Per ESPN sources, Lea has a new six-year deal to remain the Commodores coach. This comes amid a hectic coaching cycle in which Lea drew interest from multiple high-end suitors with open jobs.

Lea and Vanderbilt agreed to the deal this week, and it includes a significant salary increase for Lea. It also includes numerous assets to continue the program’s upward trend, including additional resources for both staff and facilities.

Lea has led No. 14 Vanderbilt on a remarkable ascent the past two seasons. This year, he has led Vanderbilt to a 9-2 record and a 5-2 mark in the SEC, as Vanderbilt is part of the College Football Playoff conversation with a chance to get to 10-2 at No. 19 Tennessee this weekend.

Last season, Vanderbilt rattled off a series of firsts in program history, including a first win over a No. 1 team when the Commodores toppled Alabama. It marked the first time since 1955 that Vanderbilt beat Alabama and Auburn in the same season.

Vanderbilt’s turnaround came in sync with a staff overhaul after a 2023 season that saw the team go winless in the SEC. That included the hiring of New Mexico State offensive coordinator Tim Beck in the same role and New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill in a chief consulting role.

That led to the transfer of dynamic quarterback Diego Pavia, who has spearheaded the culture change on the field for the Commodores.

Following Lea’s extension, sources told ESPN’s Eli Lederman that Vanderbilt is expected to intensify its efforts to flip five-star Georgia quarterback commit Jared Curtis before the early signing period opens next week.

Curtis, ESPN’s No. 1 pocket passer in the 2026 class, is from Nashville and could have the opportunity to compete to start from Day 1 with the Commodores next fall. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound passer has been the top-ranked member of Georgia’s incoming recruiting class since May.

Lea is a longtime successful defensive coach, who took over in Vanderbilt in 2021 after the Commodores went winless in 2020. He came from Notre Dame, where he worked under Brian Kelly. Lea is a protegee of Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who he worked under at both Wake Forest and Notre Dame when Elko coordinated at those stops.

The strong financial commitment to Lea, his staff and facility upgrades is in line with Vanderbilt’s recent newfound commitment to high-end athletics under Candice Lee, as the school is pushing through more than $300 million in athletic facility upgrades on campus.

Lee is a Vanderbilt alum, and the school has worked hard to channel resources to stay competitive in the SEC.

Vanderbilt continues its season of rare air this weekend, as its only two losses are at Alabama and at Texas. The Commodores have wins over South Carolina, Missouri and LSU, which were all ranked at the time.

Lea is a Nashville native and Vanderbilt graduate.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Florida has shifted focus from Lane Kiffin in the school’s coaching search, as the school has sensed through irregular communication that he’s interested in other options, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Florida, which is searching for former coach Billy Napier’s successor, has interviewed roughly a dozen candidates and is optimistic about the process.

Louisville‘s Jeff Brohm, Tulane‘s Jon Sumrall and Washington‘s Jeff Fisch are believed to be among the candidates the Gators are still considering.

Florida targeted Kiffin early in the search and offered him a deal to put him among the highest paid coaches in college football, which included significant incentives.

Ole Miss officials told ESPN ahead of Saturday’s Egg Bowl against Mississippi State in Starkville that Kiffin is expected to provide them with a decision about his future on Friday night or Saturday. He’s also considering a lucrative contract offer from SEC rival LSU.

LSU also wants an answer from Kiffin, as the coaching carousel has intensified the Tigers’ search, as well as a potential one at Ole Miss if Kiffin leaves.

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt‘s Clark Lea, two of the top candidates believed to be under consideration at either Florida or LSU, signed six-year contract extensions with their respective schools in the past 24 hours.

If the No. 7 Rebels defeat the Bulldogs on Saturday, they’ll finish 11-1 and are expected to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. They would possibly host a first-round game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, on Dec. 19 or 20.

If Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, the Rebels have an interim plan in place. Sources previously told ESPN that former New York Giants interim coach Joe Judge would likely serve as interim head coach.

Sources told ESPN that all options are still on the table if Kiffin decides to replace Brian Kelly as LSU’s coach-even potentially coaching the Rebels in the CFP. But sources said Kiffin sticking around after agreeing to coach at an SEC rival wasn’t an ideal scenario.

Kiffin, 50, has guided the Rebels to a 54-19 record in his six seasons — only Alabama (66-12) and Georgia (70-8) have more wins in the SEC since the start of the 2020 season. In fact, the Rebels have the eighth-most wins among power-conference teams during that stretch.