Lane Kiffin no longer a candidate for Florida; Tulane’s Sumrall top target

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is no longer a candidate at Florida to replace Billy Napier, a source confirmed.

Kiffin’s decision forces athletic director Scott Stricklin to shift his focus to a backup plan after decision-makers and donors spent the past month laser-focused on Kiffin. The Gators have turned their attention to Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, who has the Green Wave in contention for a CFP bid. The former Kentucky linebacker is 41-11 in four seasons as head coach at Troy (2022-23) and Tulane (2024-25).

The 43-year-old Sumrall, who was a linebackers coach at Ole Miss (2018) and Kentucky (2019-21), is 18-7 at Tulane entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against Charlotte.

If Kiffin were to leave for LSU, Sumrall could replace him at Ole Miss. The Huntsville, Alabama, native also could choose Auburn, the alma mater of his wife.

Washington’s Jedd Fisch, a 1998 UF graduate, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham could be fall-back options among a deep pool of coaches contacted following Napier’s Oct. 19 ouster.

The Gators targeted Kiffin after firing Napier, hoping he could become a Steve Spurrier clone in Gainesville because of his penchant to score points, troll rival schools and needle their fan bases.

But Stricklin soon found himself in a battle for Kiffin’s services, not only with Ole Miss but longtime SEC rival LSU after the Tigers fired Brian Kelly Oct. 26.

Big-money Gator boosters and Spurrier, an ambassador for the athletic program, became involved in the Gators’ push to land the 50-year-old offensive mastermind.

Members of Kiffin’s family recently visited Gainesville and Baton Rouge.

Layla Kiffin, the coach’s ex-wife and daughter of former UF star quarterback John Reaves, and her brother Chris were purportedly underwhelmed by the Gainesville area high school athletic programs compared with those around LSU.

Knox Kiffin, the son of Lane and Layla, is a star sophomore quarterback in Oxford, Miss. His high school choice is among the key factors in Lane Kiffin’s decision. Chris Kiffin has four children, with two of them high school athletes.

Allowed the rare opportunity making his third football hire, Stricklin tried to hit a home run and lost out, given Kiffin’s offensive acumen and ability to elevate Ole Miss past Florida, including a 34-24 win Nov. 15 at sold-out Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The Kiffin watch consumed three fan bases. Kiffin did little to quell speculation when he announced Nov. 22 he’d wait to reveal his future plans after Friday’s Ole Miss-Mississippi State game in the annual Egg Bowl. At one point or another, each of the three schools were reportedly best positioned to land him.

Kiffin is expected to announce his future plans Saturday.