Lane Kiffin meets with players as Auburn rumors swirl: report
Ole Miss is 8-3 on the season
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With rumors swirling that he would be departing Ole Miss for the head coaching job at Auburn, Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reportedly met with his players Tuesday night.
Kiffin felt that he owed it to his players and their families to speak with them directly after a Monday report that he would be stepping down as head coach of Ole Miss on Friday in order to become the next head coach of the Auburn Tigers, according to ESPN.
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during a college football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Nov. 12, 2022 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
According to the report, Kiffin told his players that he had not accepted any job offers at a different school.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF TOP FOUR REMAINS SAME; TENNESSEE’S LOSS SHAKES UP REST OF FIELD
"He told the players his focus was on Mississippi State and nothing else and that any reports out there about his accepting another offer were totally false," sources told ESPN.
Monday evening, WCBI News in Mississippi reported that Kiffin would become the next head coach at Auburn after stepping down as head coach of Ole Miss on Friday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on from the sideline during the football game between the Ole Miss Rebels and Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on Oct. 29, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"BREAKING: [Ole Miss] HC Lane Kiffin plans to step down as the Rebels coach Friday and head to Auburn to become the Tigers' next head coach, according to sources. Sources say the Tigers have not officially offered the job to anyone yet.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"So Lane to Auburn is happening. Story soon."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kiffin responded on Twitter, shooting down the report.
Kiffin has become a hot commodity in college football, as he has led Ole Miss to an 8-3 record in his third season in Oxford, Mississippi.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In three seasons, Kiffin has led the Rebels to a record of 23-11, winning 10 games in 2021 and getting Ole Miss to the Sugar Bowl.
Following Saturday’s loss to Arkansas, Kiffin addresses the rumors that tie him to Auburn’s head coaching vacancy, weeks after the Tigers parted ways with Bryan Harsin.
Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels on the sidelines during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Nov. 19, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Rebels 42-27. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
"Fair question," Kiffin said when asked about being viewed as Auburn’s top target, according to AL.com. "Like I said, I love being here. I don’t want to look to next year already with a regular-season game (still to play), but this is not one of those years where you were, ‘We’re going to lose all these guys.’"