The Lane Kiffin sweepstakes have officially reached a boiling point.Â
As CBS Sports noted, LSU made one of the most aggressive gestures of this yearâs coaching carousel.
LSU sent a private jet to Oxford on Monday to pick up Kiffinâs ex-wife, Layla, and their children for a guided tour of Baton Rouge, according to multiple reports.
It was the kind of high-profile, family-focused move that immediately sent shockwaves through the SEC and college football world.Â
It signaled just how determined LSU is to lure the Ole Miss head coach away.
The visit came just one day after Kiffinâs family made a similar trip to Gainesville as Florida ramps up its own pursuit.Â
While Lane himself wasnât on either flight, visits underscore how the courtship has accelerated.
Kiffinâs future seems increasingly undefined, with sources telling CBS Sports there has been âa recent shiftâ in confidence regarding his long-term commitment to Ole Miss.Â
As one insider put it, âLane Kiffinâs mind can change from day to day.â
And with Ole Miss off this weekend at 10-1 and on the verge of the programâs first College Football Playoff appearance, the timing of this frenzy could not be more dramatic.Â
LSU Turns Up the Heat on Kiffin
LSUâs pursuit is nothing short of a full-court press.
In addition to arranging travel for Kiffinâs family, insiders say LSU is prepared to match any financial blueprint Ole Miss puts forward.Â
They are even offering what one source described as a âblank checkâ to secure him.
âI know that Ole Miss is basically telling him, âName your price,ââ Fox Sportsâ Joel Klatt said.
âBut I also have it on pretty good authority that LSU is prepared to do the same thing. Theyâll basically tell him, âThe keys are yours.ââ
Behind the scenes, LSU has made Kiffin its clear top target after firing Brian Kelly last month.
Florida remains firmly in the race as well, but LSUâs administrative alignment, boosters, and willingness to go big put them as the favorite.Â
Ole Miss RespondsÂ
Meanwhile, Kiffinâs 10-1 Rebels are having a historic season.Â
They are averaging nearly 500 yards per game and likely bound for the Playoff.Â
But Ole Miss has now entered crisis-management mode.Â
According to The Athletic, the university has given Kiffin an ultimatum to decide his future before the Nov. 28 Egg Bowl.Â
This is a rare public line in the sand that underscores how anxious the program is to avoid chaos entering rivalry week.Â
Questions surrounding Kiffinâs future have been building for weeks, but they are now ramping up out of control.Â
Those concerns exploded Saturday night when Ole Miss fans chanted âWe want Lane!â in the final minute of the Rebelsâ win over Florida.
Kiffin has repeatedly said heâs happy in Oxford but has not committed to returning.
âI love what weâre doing here,â he said after Saturdayâs win.Â
âTo even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players. Weâve got a lot of things going here, doing really well, and I love it here.â
But Ole Miss is preparing for every outcome and the stakes have never been higher.Â
With LSU escalating its pursuit, Florida pushing hard, and an Egg Bowl deadline now set, Kiffinâs decision has become the biggest storyline in college football.Â
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