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The Florida Gators are still searching for their next head football coach, and the hope around the program is that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will take the job. However, the Gators have to be prepared for every scenario, including the possibility that they don’t land Kiffin.

Other names have surfaced for the open Florida job, and one of those is USC head coach Lincoln Riley. The Trojans’ leader all but shut down the likelihood of him leaving Southern California on Tuesday.

“Oh, yeah, 100 percent. Like I said before, I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Riley said, via Ryan Kartje of the LA Times. “So yeah, that’s… I think nothing other than what we’re building, literally, and I love being here. Yeah, that’s really the end of it.”

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Lincoln Riley would have been a strong fallback option to Lane Kiffin

“The Gators are in a position where they need to nail their head coaching hire, and the easiest way to appease the fanbase is an offensive guru. If Kiffin spurns them, it won’t be a disaster, but the disappointment will be real. If this is true about Lincoln Riley, he would have been a good backup plan. There was interest back in 2022, and his offensive scheme is excellent and explosive, something they need to maximize with DJ Lagway. Having one less option really hurts and could force the Gators to either settle or make a panic hire.” — Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Florida

Florida will get its answer on Kiffin after Ole Miss plays Mississippi State this weekend. From there, the Gators will either shift their full focus to other candidates or celebrate a home run hire after moving on from Billy Napier. Riley deciding to stay put removes one potential option, but he was certainly not their top choice. It’s also worth noting that coaches often say these things and still end up leaving their current programs.

The Gators will play their final game of the season Saturday against Florida State, and then things are expected to get very interesting. Florida’s period without a permanent head coach is nearing its end.

About the authors

Brandon Little covers the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cleveland Browns for the A to Z Sports trending and breaking news team.

Tyler Forness covers the Minnesota Vikings and Florida Gators for the A to Z Sports trending and breaking news team.