On Monday, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic reported that Ole Miss gave Lane Kiffin an ultimatum to give the program an answer about his coaching future before the Rebels play Mississippi State in the “Egg Bowl” on Nov. 28.
More News: Ole Miss Could Fire Lane Kiffin Before College Football Playoff
Kiffin’s family has reportedly visited Gainesville and Baton Rouge in the last week. The clear implication is that Kiffin is interested in the open jobs at Florida and LSU.
The Rebels defeated Florida 34-24 on Saturday. During his postgame news conference, Kiffin sidestepped a question about his future in Oxford, saying it would be disrespectful to his players to talk about his situation after defeating the Gators.
More News:Â Ole Miss Players Speak Out on Lane Kiffin to Florida Rumors
Ole Miss ranked No. 7 and is competing for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff before the program finishes the regular season against Mississippi State.
During an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, Kiffin was asked by McAfee if the ultimatum report was true. Kiffin responded that he received no ultimatum from Ole Miss.
“Teah, that’s that’s absolutely not true. There’s been no ultimatum, anything like that at all,” Kiffin said. “And so I don’t know where that came from. Like, a lot of stuff that comes out there. Like I said, man, we’re having a blast. I love it here… And it just couldn’t be better. Like I said, you pray for things.
“Our fans prayed for this type of thing, and now we’re in the middle of it, so enjoy it.”
Kiffin claimed he took a yoga class earlier in the morning that Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter was present at.
Kiffin said he’s keeping the Rebels focused on Mississippi State amid outside noise about his job.
“You’re 10-1 getting ready,” Kiffin said. “You got a bye week. You’d watch half the country lose, and there’s no way we can lose Saturday. And then you play the Egg Bowl and go dominate that and keep that Egg Bowl trophy home where it’s been for a long time.”
Until Kiffin signs a contract extension with Ole Miss, rumors will not go away about his future with the program.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.