LSU: Lane Kiffin
This is the drama that has consumed so much energy over the past week because of the ultimatum that the Ole Miss AD gave to Kiffin, which is understandable because what Kiffin would have done is coach Ole Miss in the playoffs and take Ole Miss's most talented players with him to Baton Rouge. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if some Ole Miss players defect to LSU after the season.
I get why Ole Miss didn't want Kiffin around anymore since he had committed to the Bayou Bengals. You want a guy committed to the program coaching the team.
Regardless, this is a really good hire because we know Kiffin can coach offense, and with the crazy-ass people behind the LSU program willing to give him a 25 million dollar budget every year, he's going to buy all kinds of defensive talent like he was starting to do in Oxford before he departed on a private jet as fans cursed at him at the airport.
Whatever happens with this hire, the annual Ole Miss-LSU football game just got spicier, and the game in 2026 is in Oxford. It's going to get loud and salty.
Ole Miss: Pete Golding
This hire was a bit of a surprise to me, but once I started thinking about it, it makes sense. It might save some of the recruiting class, it provides stability for the playoffs, and the administration bets on a guy who has improved Ole Miss in regard to defense, which is traditionally one of their weaknesses. I just wonder if the committee will put Ole Miss at a higher seed without Kiffin manning the offense.
The administration is taking a chance on a guy played Division II football in the state and has settled in at Oxford after serving as the DC for one of Alabama's national championships and two of its SEC championships.
Florida: Jon Sumrall
Could this be a good hire for Florida. I know he's brought the Tulane football team to prominence, which is difficult because Tulane is the second tier program in the state of Louisiana. This hire feels like a total coin flip to me.
Auburn: Alex Golesh
As an Alabama alumnus, this is the hire I did not want to see at Auburn. I've watched his success at USF, and I think he runs the Tennessee offense better than Tennessee does. Two Saban-led Alabama teams has trouble in both of their games agains the Bulls.
Arkansas: Ryan Silverfield
He made Memphis a player on the scene. But honestly, I don't know much about him and his coaching to even speculate. The challenge is that's it is Arkansas, which is a football program that has so many disadvantages compared to the bigger programs in the conference. I like it when Arkansas is a good team in the conference, but it seems like decades since that was a reality.
