Report: Lane Kiffin is the top candidate for Auburn head coaching job

It has been a whirlwind day at Auburn this afternoon. Within minutes of the Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen reportedly accepting the open AD vacancy with the school, embattled head football coach Bryan Harsin was fired from his post. And now they apparently already have his replacement in mind.

247Sports’ Brandon Marcello reported on Monday that Cohen and Auburn have targeted Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin as their top candidate to replace Harsin. Marcello’s reporting cites Kiffin’s mastery of the transfer portal and Auburn’s superior NIL base as primary factors for why the school would want to poach the Rebel head coach.

For all of the memes and personality quirks that has been associated with Kiffin, he has proven to be a stabilizing force for programs in recent years. After winning two Conference USA championships in his three years at FAU, he has stabilized Ole Miss in the aftermath of the NCAA sanctions from the Hugh Freeze era. He led the Rebels to a 10-win season and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2021 and they’ve only lost once this season. Ole Miss is currently just two wins away from accomplishing back-to-back 10-win seasons, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished at the program since their pre-integration heyday in the late 1950’s/early ‘60’s.

We’ll see if this report actually comes to fruition in the coming weeks.