Over the last two weeks, Ole Miss head coach [autotag]Lane Kiffin[/autotag] has been a popular name among Auburn fans as the replacement for Bryan Harsin, who was relieved of his duties on Oct. 31.
Auburn athletic director [autotag]John Cohen[/autotag] and Auburn University President [autotag]Dr. Christopher Roberts[/autotag] has kept their list close to heart, but all signs point to Kiffin being the favorite to take the job.
Why would he leave Ole Miss? Well, there are plenty of reasons.
Auburn has a better track record of success in football than Ole Miss with six SEC West crowns as opposed to the Rebels’ zero. Auburn has also recently hired a new athletic director who has a reputation for allowing his coaches to have more freedom than most. Mix it with the new football-only facility that just opened, and Auburn becomes a top destination for any potential hire.
However, one ESPN analyst believes there is one factor that truly separates Auburn from Ole Miss, and that is the recent build-up of Auburn’s NIL collective, “On to Victory.”
ESPN senior writer Chris Low recently tweeted his thoughts on the potential of Kiffin leaving Oxford for the Plains. He says that the shifting landscape of College Football appears to be working in favor of the Tigers.
“The overriding reason Lane Kiffin would leave Ole Miss for Auburn is the hefty NIL fund that Auburn has built,” Low said in a recent tweet. “In the NIL world, that kind of cash is the key to sustaining success at a high level, both in attracting high school talent and keeping players from transferring.”
In a follow-up tweet, Low says that Kiffin is proud of the success that he has built at Ole Miss, but could easily see Auburn’s outstanding efforts in NIL being a deciding factor for accepting a potential offer.
“One thing I know about Lane Kiffin if he is indeed the choice at Auburn is that he does not do anything impulsively,” Low said. “He would examine everything, all factors, and I do believe NIL would be the deciding factor IF he were to leave.”
On to Victory’s objective is to expand NIL opportunities for Auburn Student-Athletes according to its website. Currently, three Auburn athletes are a part of On3’s NIL 100, including [autotag]Tank Bigsby[/autotag] and [autotag]Derick Hall[/autotag], who ranks No. 87 and No. 93 respectively.
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