Ole Miss team meeting set for Sunday morning with ‘expectation’ LSU hires Lane Kiffin

As Saturday turned to Sunday in the Eastern time zone, the uncertainty surrounding Lane Kiffin, his future at Ole Miss and the potential for him to bolt for LSU remained.

That appears likely to continue for a few more hours.

Kiffin will hold a team meeting with his players at 10 a.m. Eastern time with an announcement about his future expected afterward, but ESPN reported early Sunday morning that there’s an “expectation” that the Tigers will hire the 50-year-old head coach on a deal reportedly worth around $12 million per year across seven seasons.

One of the final sticking points, according to an earlier report from the outlet, revolved around what happened in the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn. 

An Alabama loss would have meant that Ole Miss earned a spot in the SEC championship.

That, then, would have complicated matters about whether Kiffin would be able to coach the Rebels in that game.

The Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 27-20, ending Mississippi’s hopes for reaching the SEC title game, and Kiffin likely wouldn’t coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff unless something changed, according to ESPN.

Kiffin met with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce for more than three hours — if their meeting started at the reported time, according to Yahoo Sports — while the Tigers “believe they hold Kiffin’s commitment to be their next coach,” the outlet reported.

LSU’s vacancy opened when it fired Brian Kelly last month, leading to rumor after rumor about the potential to snag Kiffin from a conference rival. 

When asked after Ole Miss’ win in the Egg Bowl on Friday if he had made a decision, Kiffin replied, “I have a lot of praying to do.”

He planned to call Nick Saban and Pete Carroll.

The Saturday decision will now unfold Sunday instead.

And it appears likely to lead to Baton Rouge.