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That SEC Football Podcast

Lane Kiffin/Eli Drinkwitz or Bust For Florida? Brian Kelly & Hugh Freeze Fired? Matt Hayes Interview!

That SEC Football Podcast

Michael Bratton/SEC Mike

Football, News, Leisure, Sports News, Sports, Games

4.81.8K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

USA TODAY Senior CFB writer Matt Hayes joins That SEC Podcast to discuss all the coach firings and hirings in the SEC as the Florida job is open and all anyone wants to discuss is Lane Kiffin to The Swamp! Lane Kiffin or bust for Florida? (0:45), coaching salaries & buyouts here to stay? (5:45), Jimmy Sexton sighting (8:30), why would Kiffin or Drink leave? (9:00), Brian Kelly feeling the heat? (12:15), Hugh Freeze getting fired? (14:45), defense is no optional in the SEC (18:00) Links to Matt's referenced stories: Big money got James Franklin and Billy Napier. Is Brian Kelly next? https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/10/22/brian-kelly-apologizes-to-lsu-football-fans-could-be-next-in-firing-line-billy-napier-james-franklin/86816367007/?tbref=hp Dawgs' defense has no bite. It's up to Georgia's offense: 'Every series, score points' https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2025/10/18/georgia-vs-ole-miss-score-bulldogs-offense-bails-out-offense-vs-rebels-kirby-smart/86770111007/ Advertising inquiries: thatsecpodcast@gmail.com Interested in helping us grow the channel? Become an Official Cousin by signing up for a membership to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8aQL-yFS2ZoSkUBeMfYesA/join PRIZEPICKS: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/SEC promo code SEC play $5 get $50 instantly! We have t-shirts for sale! Check out our merchandise store featuring shirts, hoodies, stickers, coffee mugs, pillows, phone cases and more: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/thatsecpodcast?ref_id=19055 All show music comes via Nashville band Crimson Calamity; check out their work by clicking the link below: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29HGeJEcYHBJlyt4xIcLBw?si=GJoEOr0YSoeqWkrjhCc0Ug

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

All right. So one of our favorites, Matt Hayes, Senior National College Football Writer USA Today and host of 1010XL. Matt, how are you doing?

0:19.0

I'm doing great, Michael. Thanks for having me. I always enjoyed coming on with you guys. I love this show. My favorite show. Right. And not only are you one of our favorites, Matt. I mean, there's no better time in our opinion for you because you give us a hard time because we like to basically ask, you know, who's getting fired and this at the other. And hey, it's fire at season right now. I don't want to waste much time on old Billy Napier that that came and gone but is it Lane Kiffin or bust for the gators because I'm sensing it even even from your timeline I think that's who they that's their optimum candidate.

0:57.4

They started vetting him a long time ago, long before this.

1:00.8

So I think he's clearly a guy they're looking at.

1:03.0

I think they're looking at Eli Drinkwood, it's a friend of your show, of course,

1:04.5

and my show in Jacksonville on the radio show.

1:06.9

They're in 1010XL.

1:09.2

Both good coaches, both good dudes. I think they do well getting either

1:14.5

one of those guys. The question is can they get them? Lane's very happy there. Lane makes a lot of

1:19.3

money in Oxford. His family lives there. His former wife moved there. so she's there now.

1:28.5

She was at the game, the Georgia game last weekend in the bowels of the stadium.

1:33.8

You know, typically with coaches at the end of games, their wife stand there and wait for them.

1:38.2

And they walk out together after they do all the stuff.

1:41.2

And, you know, so what happens typically?

1:47.1

And his ex-wife was there waiting for him. So clearly there are on better terms. I'm not getting into any of that because I don't

1:51.9

really know it, but clearly that's a thing now. She lives there. His family's there. He's

1:57.8

comfortable there. He likes it there. He's grown as a person there like exponentially over the last three and four years. He's a different guy, man. It's impressive the way he's grown. I think not only off the field but on the field as well, he's a terrific coach. We all know that. So I think it's going to be difficult to pry him out of there. Could they?

2:17.6

Yeah.

2:17.9

I think a year ago, I would say, yeah, they could get him. And now I'm kind of like, I don't know. I don't know. And Eli's the same way. Eli's probably going to win 10 games again this year. And Missouri will pay him whatever Florida pays him. I think Ole Miss will pay him lane whatever Florida wants to pay him. So both those guys is going to be,

2:34.5

where do I want to be? Where do I want to coach? Clearly it's easier to win big at Florida than it is

2:39.2

to win big at Old Miss in Missouri. So I think that's, if these guys are truly based in what

2:46.2

most coaches, most, they all have egos, man. We all know that because they're competitors.

...

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