I am told by an ESPN contact that the rumor that Lane Kiffin will announce his intentions to stay at Ole Miss on ESPN’s College Gameday Show might very well be true. I just turned the show on. I never watch. It is based in Columbus, Ohio, today, building up to today’s Big Ten showdown between Michigan and Ohio State.
I have no idea when Kiffin’s appearance will be or if there will even be an appearance. No one in media relations has told us to watch for it. In fact, an Ole Miss source we trust does not believe Kiffin is announcing anything on the three-hour show.
To our knowledge, as of late last night, Kiffin had not signed a contract extension that was presented to him nine days ago and has become a very public issue. However, as Chase reported last night, over the past 24 hours, he has told numerous people at all levels of the university that he’s staying.
We’ve hit the point where there are two options: 1. He’s lying to a lot of people in an attempt to run the clock, possibly to the end of the Iron Bowl. I sure can’t rule that out. Beats me.
2. He’s staying.
The only reason we are even considering option 1 is because of the reporting on the Auburn end of this. Auburn media outlets continue to report that Kiffin is the top candidate and is expected to get the Auburn job at some point after today’s Iron Bowl game versus Alabama in Tuscaloosa. That game kicks off a little after 2:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on CBS. We can’t sit here and tell you they’re wrong. If that comes to fruition, so be it. We are certainly prepared for that eventuality and the next conversations that come with it.
If it’s option 2 and he’s staying, he has a lot of work to do to repair the extensive damage he’s done in Ole Miss circles. We’ve covered that ground and we’ll cover it more, but Kiffin’s Q-rating, if you will, most importantly with big donors and boosters, has taken a major hit over the last 10-14 days. He’s lost major support. We won’t, but we could name names. He can get it back, but he’s going to have to do some real work if he’s staying.
We’re following. We’ll go from there. And if you think you’re sick of it…
I have no idea when Kiffin’s appearance will be or if there will even be an appearance. No one in media relations has told us to watch for it. In fact, an Ole Miss source we trust does not believe Kiffin is announcing anything on the three-hour show.
To our knowledge, as of late last night, Kiffin had not signed a contract extension that was presented to him nine days ago and has become a very public issue. However, as Chase reported last night, over the past 24 hours, he has told numerous people at all levels of the university that he’s staying.
We’ve hit the point where there are two options: 1. He’s lying to a lot of people in an attempt to run the clock, possibly to the end of the Iron Bowl. I sure can’t rule that out. Beats me.
2. He’s staying.
The only reason we are even considering option 1 is because of the reporting on the Auburn end of this. Auburn media outlets continue to report that Kiffin is the top candidate and is expected to get the Auburn job at some point after today’s Iron Bowl game versus Alabama in Tuscaloosa. That game kicks off a little after 2:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on CBS. We can’t sit here and tell you they’re wrong. If that comes to fruition, so be it. We are certainly prepared for that eventuality and the next conversations that come with it.
If it’s option 2 and he’s staying, he has a lot of work to do to repair the extensive damage he’s done in Ole Miss circles. We’ve covered that ground and we’ll cover it more, but Kiffin’s Q-rating, if you will, most importantly with big donors and boosters, has taken a major hit over the last 10-14 days. He’s lost major support. We won’t, but we could name names. He can get it back, but he’s going to have to do some real work if he’s staying.
We’re following. We’ll go from there. And if you think you’re sick of it…
