Not long ago, Florida football fans, national pundits or anyone recording a podcast out of a basement called for Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin to replace embattled UF coach Billy Napier.
The Florida Gators were 1-2 after a 33-20 loss to Texas A&M in September, when Napier’s seat reached molten lava temperatures (that’s 700 to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, for those wondering). There were inaccurate reports about emergency board meetings and stealth flights to Mississippi by Florida boosters to gauge Kiffin’s interest in the job.
Fast-forward two months, and much has changed. Kiffin’s Ole Miss squad suffered its own disappointing home loss to Kentucky but bounced back with a signature over Georgia and finds itself, at No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, contending for a CFP spot.
Florida hasn’t reached such lofty heights under Napier. But UF’s upset win over No. 22 LSU last Saturday at The Swamp coupled with the promising play of freshman quarterback DJ Lagway, has won Napier back support of most of the fanbase. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin gave Napier a vote of confidence earlier this month that assures him fourth season.
At 5-5 and 3-4 in the SEC, Florida can still reach a bowl and post a winning season while facing a hellacious schedule. Florida is 3-0 in games that Lagway has started and finished, and he’s bounced back quicker than expected from the hamstring injury he suffered against Georgia. Lagway and a young core of maturing players could help Florida take a more substantial step in year four under Napier.
Florida also can play spoiler to Ole Miss’s CFP hopes, like it did against LSU the week before.
“Right now, we’re just focused on this week, winning this game, playing our best brand of ball and continuing to improve upon what we’ve been doing,” Florida defensive lineman Jack Pyburn said.
Florida football coach Billy Napier, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, share Alabama ties
It’s the first head-to-head meeting between Kiffin and Napier, who could silence more critics if he can outduel one of college football’s best offensive minds. Florida enters the matchup at 10-point underdogs, per BetMGM.
Kiffin and Napier worked together at Alabama under Nick Saban. when Napier was receivers coach (2013-16) and Kiffin was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“Charlie Weis Jr., the (Ole Miss) offensive coordinator as well,” Napier said. “I worked with Charlie. We were all at Alabama together there for a couple of years.
“So just in general one thing I would say is that I learned a lot. I think that environment, the people that we had in the building, when you start looking at the list of coaches and support staff, I think that was a beneficial time in my career just because of the people that were in the building. Obviously, Lane was a part of that staff.”
At Ole Miss, Kiffin’s offenses have ranked in the top three in the SEC in each of his five seasons. Ole Miss enters Saturday’s matchup first in the SEC scoring offense and total offense.
“He’s had a number of different coordinators that have contributed to the evolution of that,” Napier said. “The tempo being part of that. Then I think you add in some of the unique formation variables that maybe goes to our background with the pro style.. Yeah, I think it’s been challenging for people to stop.”
Is Lane Kiffin the modern-day Steve Spurrier?
Kiffin is endearing and intriguing to so many Florida fans not just because of his offensive acumen, but his ability to needle opposing fanbases, like a certain visor-wearing coach who took the Gators to unprecedented heights in the 1990s.
Steve Spurrier did it back then through traditional media, both broadcast and print. (Who could forget, “You can’t spell Citrus without UT?”) Kiffin does it through social media. In 2023, on X (formerly known as Twitter), Kiffin posted a burn sign following a UF spring game that ended with a 10-7 score.
“You always see on Twitter, all that kind of fun stuff that he tweets and goes at, and so, you know, it reminds me of a few coaches back in the day,” Florida linebacker Derek Wingo said.
Whether the 49-year-old Kiffin someday ends up patrolling the sidelines of The Swamp as UF’s future coach remains to be seen. In the present, Napier will get more time to build a foundation that Florida administrators are still banking on to lead to sustained success. It didn’t look promising in September, but Florida showed enough growth and effort to change perceptions around the leadership of the program.
“The big thing is just you’ve got to compliment our players and staff just for staying the course,” Napier said. “I mean, it’s no easy task to keep focused on the work in front of you and be present.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin brings high-powered offense to face Florida football in The Swamp
