Lane Kiffin replacements: Ranking Ole Miss's 5 best candidates, from Jon Sumrall to Jimbo Fisher

Lane Kiffin replacements: Ranking Ole Miss' 5 best candidates, from Jon Sumrall to Jimbo Fisher originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Lane Kiffin circus is moving to another town.

Kiffn is expected to leave Ole Miss to take the same job at LSU, according to multiple reports. Kiffin reportedly will make the announcement Sunday morning after Ole Miss was eliminated from the SEC championship game after finishing in a four-way tie for first in the SEC at 7-1.

Kiffin’s departure will be one of the most panned coaching decisions in recent memory. He compiled a 55-19 record after taking over at Ole Miss in 2020 and pushed the program toward its first College Football Playoff appearance in school history.

Now, the Rebels will be looking for a new coach that can keep the program competitive in the SEC. Ole Miss has not had a coach for more than five seasons since David Cutcliffe, who was the coach from 1999-2004 after Tommy Tuberville left to take the Auburn job.

Rebels athletic director Keith Carter is on the spot here. Who will replace Kiffin this time around? A look at the potential candidates for the Ole Miss job.

Who might be in line to take Lane Kiffin's job at Ole Miss? A look at some of the best candidates:

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Jon Sumrall, Tulane coach

Sumrall, 43, is 41-11 between stints at Troy and Tulane – and he would have to be one of the top candidates for this job. He is reportedly the leader for the Florida opening and will make a decision Sunday regarding the Gators opening. He was a linebackers coach at Ole Miss in 2018, and he has taken that experience into those head coaching jobs with straightforward success. Sumrall played linebacker at Kentucky from 2002-04 and would also be a candidate for that job should it open. Sumrall might be the most popular carousel candidate in the conference now with Kiffin off the board. How will that jive with the Green Wave squarely in the College Football Playoff hunt? He is the best replacement for Kiffin, but Ole Miss will have to make up ground quickly against Florida.

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Glenn Schumann, Georgia defensive coordinator

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Schumann, 35, also will be a popular candidate because of timing. The Georgia defensive coordinator has emerged as a popular candidate for SEC vacancies. He was a student analyst at Alabama and was an assistant coach for Nick Saban at Alabama and now Kirby Smart with Georgia. Schumann has no head coaching experience, but neither did Smart. The Bulldogs will be in the College Football Playoff, too, so this is a move that the Rebels would not have to rush to make.

Jimbo Fisher, former Texas A&M coach

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Would Fisher fit in Oxford? Fisher, 60, has not coached each of the last two seasons since being fired at Texas A&M. Fisher won a national title with Florida State in 2013, one year before the playoff era started. He was 45-25 at Texas A&M – a .643 winning percentage that did not quite match the talent assembled. Fisher can recruit at an elite level – and he might come out of that coach reset with some lessons that could apply to NIL and the transfer portal era. It’s a boom-or-bust hire – but it’s splashy enough to put Kiffin in the past.

Willie Fritz, Houston coach

Fritz, 65, might have one more coaching move left. Look at the four-year track record. Between Tulane and Houston, Fritz is 35-15 the last four seasons, and that includes a 4-8 record in his first season with the Cougars. That’s a .700 winning percentage – and the turnaround at Houston did not take long. Fritz does not have SEC experience, which makes him more of a second-tier candidate given the names Ole Miss would be targeting.

Alex Golesh, South Florida coach

Golesh, 41, has been in talks with Arkansas, but nothing has been finalized. He was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee from 2021-22 with Hendon Hooker, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. The Bulls are 22-15 under Golesh and gave Alabama fits in 2023 and 2024. Golesh runs an up-tempo offense. Golesh’s stock has never been higher after early-season victories against Boise State and Florida this year. Again, Ole Miss would seem to have to play catch-up with Arkansas on this one.