Will Lane Kiffin walk away from potentially playoff-bound Ole Miss to join the arguably superior programs at LSU or Florida this winter? Former Gators coach Urban Meyer might have an inkling of an idea.
Meyer was in Kiffin’s shoes two decades ago, when he was drawn to the allure of coaching for a big-name program. After a pair of successful stints at Bowling Green and Utah, Meyer left for Florida in 2005 in hopes of winning a national championship (he did, in ’06 and ’08, and once more in ’14 with Ohio State). His gamble paid off for him in the end, as he enjoyed a fruitful six-year tenure with the Gators before ultimately stepping down for personal reasons.
Amid growing rumors over Kiffin’s coaching future, Meyer weighed in on whether the Ole Miss coach would thrive in Gainesville in an interview with former sports reporter and Florida alumna Ali Peek Wilbur.
“We're friends, which when I say that people are blown away,” Meyer said. “I admire the guy. I admire someone that says, This wasn't right or I need to get better here, here, here. And I think he has. He’s still got that personality to him but I’m actually proud of the guy that he got his stuff in order. Obviously, I don’t think he’s ever been a bad coach, he’s been a great coach. ... So I do think Lane would be a great choice.”
“Florida is one of those top-five jobs, maybe top-three jobs in America that you can swing for it all every year,” continued Meyer. “Now, it’s rugged. There's a lot of ruggedness to us, but some people are saying it’s much more comfortable at Ole Miss. I don’t know if a guy like Lane likes comfort. You want to go take swings as hard as you can I think.”
Meyer declined to say for certain that Florida was a more “attractive” job than Ole Miss right now, noting that he didn’t know enough about the current programs. He also went on to share the most important traits he believed the next coach of Florida needed to have: being a competitor and being adaptable.
Last month, Florida parted ways with Billy Napier after three-plus seasons of disappointment and will be looking to kick off a brighter era with whoever they hire next, with Kiffin very likely in the mix of top candidates.
“I can imagine Coach Kiffin is going through it right now, the stress,” said Meyer. “Not so much for him and the Kiffin family, it’s for how it will impact those around him, most importantly the players. ... And that would always wear me out, thinking, O.K., what do I do here? Because this is not just going to impact us, it’s going to impact so many.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Urban Meyer Weighs in on Whether Lane Kiffin Would Be a Good Fit for Florida.
