Dan Patrick: Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss would be ‘terrible hit to his credentials’

The situation surrounding Lane Kiffin and whether or not he will remain as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels is the biggest story in college football. And that’s despite Kiffin’s desire not to talk about it.

The self-made circus has fully sprouted up as Kiffin decides whether to leave Ole Miss, potentially for SEC rivals LSU or Florida, in the midst of a gangbuster season that could see the Rebels in the College Football Playoff. Furthermore, if Kiffin decides to take another job, he might leave the school before the CFP begins. That would be an unprecedented decision with enormous ramifications for the football team he leaves behind.

While some in the media have come to his defense, Kiffin has also drawn plenty of criticism over the timing of the decision and his desire to avoid discussing it as his Rebels prepare for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. He got a bit snippy when reporters asked questions about it, anyway, because it’s incredibly newsworthy and deserves answers.

Dan Patrick noted Tuesday that the media is just doing its job and that Kiffin is allowed to explore opportunities presented. However, given Kiffin’s old reputation, one he’s gone to great lengths to reinvent through his success at Ole Miss, Patrick worries that all that work could be undone depending on how the football coach ultimately handles all of this.

“It’d be a terrible hit to his credentials if he does take this job elsewhere.”

– DP on Lane Kiffin. pic.twitter.com/jLS0YX2PWb

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 25, 2025

“I don’t begrudge him for getting the best deal possible, making as much money as he wants,” said Patrick on his show. “But you have to understand, with those decisions come ramifications. There are going to be opinions.

“It’d be a terrible… now, maybe he doesn’t care, a terrible hit to his credentials if he does take this job elsewhere. Because he’s flirted with this, and we did social media and little post here, and maybe somebody leaked it. Maybe your agent leaked that your family was in LSU, and then they were in Florida. Okay, that’s where I have a problem with this, because it felt like you were kinda toying with the people from Oxford, Mississippi. That’s the problem I have with this.

“You want to take another job? Take another job. Okay? Your credibility is going to take a hit if you decide to go. And maybe you don’t care. His credibility has taken a hit. His confidence has probably taken a hit many, many times. You get fired on the tarmac, embarrassed by the Raiders, kicked to the curb, you go to Florida Atlantic.

“But he is a really good coach. I just think, I don’t know if he knows who he is… I just think your credibility takes a hit, given how this is playing out right now. I’m hoping he stays at Ole Miss. I like the story.”

It seems likely we’ll have a good idea what’s going to happen with Kiffin by Friday, potentially even before the Egg Bowl. Opinion appears to be split among college football media members, so your guess is as good as any if he stays or goes.