The 2025 college football coaching carousel is set to be one of the craziest in the sport's history. The name at the center of the carousel is Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels are 8-1 and look like an SEC contender and a contender to win the College Football Playoff. If Kiffin leaves, he will be the hottest name to choose from during this hiring cycle.
On the latest episode of Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway's podcast, “Nonstop,” Herbstreit made clear that Kiffin was going to be the biggest name on the college football coaching market and that Nick Saban was not getting back into coaching. There were rumblings about Saban and LSU, but Herbstreit seems to have put that to rest.
Herbstreit said, “Let me put two things to the side. Lane Kiffin’s not going to go to the NFL. And Nick Saban, you couldn’t pull Nick Saban off of the GameDay Desk. ‘Coach maybe this job, No.’ Nick Saban guys, you’ve got to stop bringing up Nick Saban for all these jobs. Guys he’s not going anywhere. My man is enjoying his life. For 50 years, he told me, ‘For 50 years I’ve been in a hurry, I’ve been late to something.’ 50 years, now he’s got Mercedes-Benz Dealerships, Ferrari Dealerships.”
Kiffin and Saban are tied together because Kiffin was an offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014 to 2016. After flaming out as USC's head coach, Kiffin's image was rehabbed in coaching circles. Now, both are at the forefront of this year's coaching carousel.
Herbstreit made clear that Saban is not going back to coaching. He would know because he works with Saban weekly on the “College GameDay” set. LSU is the only program that would have gone after Saban, but this carousel would have become even more interesting if he had not left.
Herbstreit also clarified that Kiffin will not leave for the NFL anytime soon, which is good news for Ole Miss fans. However, he did not specify if he was staying at Ole Miss. Kiffin could remain at Ole Miss, but the fact that LSU and Florida are both interested in him for their head coaching position will make this a fight for Ole Miss to keep him, even with him saying that money is not a big differentiator.
