Sources: Florida shifts focus away from Lane Kiffin as next coach

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Florida has shifted focus away from Lane Kiffin in the school’s coaching search after the school realized through irregular communications that he was interested in other options, sources told ESPN on Friday.

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

Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, Tulane’s John Sumrall and Washington’s Jeff Fish are believed to be among the candidates the Gators are still considering.

Florida targeted Kiffin early in the search and offered him a deal that included significant incentives, making him among the highest-paid coaches in college football.

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

LSU also wants answers from Kiffin, as the coaching merry-go-round has intensified the Tigers’ search, with Ole Miss also potentially looking if Kiffin leaves.

Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lee, two of the top candidates considered under consideration at Florida or LSU, signed six-year contract extensions with their respective schools in the last 24 hours.

If the No. 7 Rebels beat the Bulldogs on Saturday, they will finish 11-1 and are expected to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. They will likely host a first-round game at Vought-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi on December 19 or 20.

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

Sources tell 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 staying put after agreeing to a coaching position with an SEC rival was not an ideal scenario.

Kiffin, 50, has led 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 span.