The Grove Report

Lane Kiffin Quotes, Grove Collective Notes and More From a Wild Thursday at Ole Miss

The Ole Miss fan base has been on a rollercoaster ride for the last 24 hours.

John Macon Gillespie

The Ole Miss Rebels fanbase has been in a fervor for the last day over the future of its football head coach.

Lane Kiffin, speculated to be among the top choices for the head coaching position of the Auburn Tigers, received a new contract offer from Ole Miss on Thursday afternoon. According to Richard Cross and Michael Borkey of SportsTalk Mississippi, a statewide radio show in the Magnolia State, this initial offer from the Rebels would likely put Kiffin in the ballpark of $9 million annually, easily within the top 10 highest-paid coaches in college football.

There has also been speculation about Kiffin's interest in heading to the Plains due to what was believed to be a discrepancy in NIL funds available at the two schools. Chris Low of ESPN stated on Wednesday that Auburn's NIL situation was '10 times' better than that of Ole Miss.

On the same SportsTalk Mississippi show on Thursday, Walker Jones, executive director of The Grove Collective NIL program, joined to discuss the progress it has made over the last year and if Kiffin is pleased with that progress.

"I know for a fact he is," Jones said. "We have delivered on everything that coach has asked us to deliver on and the university as well. We have far exceeded our goals, financially, with membership. Our Ole Miss fans have answered the call, and we sit here today in a really, really good position. I feel great about it. I know [Kiffin] feels good about it.”

Kiffin himself was a guest on RebTalk on Thursday night, a weekly radio show hosted by the play-by-play Voice of the Rebels David Kellum, and he discussed the Rebels' NIL situation as well, indicating that it is moving in the "right direction."

"I do not keep up when we get in season because we’re just focused on the season, and, really, that’s not when players sign," Kiffin said. "I have been told we’re doing really well, and it’s come a long way and headed the right direction. So that’s awesome, for all sports."

As the page turns to Friday of this week, eyes and ears in Oxford will remain open for any news regarding Kiffin and his future with the program. As of now, he has a contract offer from Ole Miss on the table, but will Auburn counter with an offer of its own? And, if it does, how will the next steps play out?

Let the rollercoaster ride continue.

You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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John Macon Gillespie
JOHN MACON GILLESPIE

John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.

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