STARKVILLE, Miss. — Florida has shifted focus from Lane Kiffin in the school's coaching search, as the school has sensed through irregular communication that he is interested in other options, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Florida, which is searching for former coach Billy Napier's successor, has interviewed roughly a dozen candidates and is optimistic about the process.
Louisville's Jeff Brohm, Tulane's Jon Sumrall and Washington's Jeff Fisch are believed to be among the candidates the Gators are still considering.
Florida targeted Kiffin early in the search and offered him a deal to put him among the highest-paid coaches in college football, which included significant incentives.
Ole Miss officials told ESPN ahead of Friday's Egg Bowl against Mississippi State in Starkville that Kiffin is expected to provide them with a decision about his future on Friday night or Saturday. He's also considering a lucrative contract offer from SEC rival LSU.
LSU also wants an answer from Kiffin, as the coaching carousel has intensified the Tigers' search, as well as a potential one at Ole Miss if Kiffin leaves.
Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea, two of the top candidates believed to be under consideration at either Florida or LSU, signed six-year contract extensions with their respective schools in the past 24 hours.
If the No. 7 Rebels defeat the Bulldogs on Friday, they'll finish 11-1 and are expected to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. They would possibly host a first-round game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, on Dec. 19 or 20.
If Kiffin decides to leave for LSU, the Rebels have an interim plan in place. Sources previously told ESPN that former New York Giants interim coach
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