If you happen to had been hoping for one more Ole Miss Insurgent to move north and develop into the following head coach of the New York Giants, you could be out of luck. As present coach Brian Daboll at the moment stands on shaky floor in East Rutherford, there was a pure query as to who might fill his footwear if New York (2-8) had been to half methods with him.
Given the emergence of rookie sensation Jaxson Dart as a franchise cornerstone at quarterback, people have drawn the logical line to giving Lane Kiffin a name to see if he’d need to reunite along with his former quarterback and return to the NFL.
Whereas it is smart on paper, judging by what Brandon Dart, Jaxson’s father, needed to say about that attainable reunion, it does not sound like a practical choice.
“As we had been texting on our Kiffin-Dart household textual content thread, as a result of I feel Boomer Esiason had stated one thing within the media at present that possibly they need to throw out a possible teaching (provide) to Kiffin, and he simply despatched it over with a smirk and simply stated, ‘It is too chilly in New York for me.’ It is simply type of humorous,” Brandon Dart advised the “Bleav in Ole Miss” podcast, by way of the New York Publish.
“However we’ve our weekly interactions with him and his household, and Jaxson holds excessive regard. I feel Kiffin is considered one of his most trusted allies, and I feel he makes use of him for recommendation in numerous alternative ways, so there’s fixed communication between them, even at present, and there is numerous that between our households. I do not assume we might have requested for a extra particular coach relationship between our household and our son, so we’re very, very grateful for coach Kiff.”
Kiffin coached Dart for 3 years at Ole Miss, which included a stellar senior season in 2024 with the quarterback throwing for 4,279 yards and 29 touchdowns whereas finishing 69.3% of his throws. That tutelage helped him develop into a first-round choose on the 2025 NFL Draft, and, given the shut ties they share, it could make sense for New York to see if he’d have an interest within the job.
Whereas climate could be an element for Kiffin, so is the present panorama in school soccer. There are a variety of high-profile jobs open, together with at LSU, Penn State, and Florida, the place he might be a number one candidate. He might additionally merely keep put at Ole Miss, the place he at the moment has the Rebels in competition for the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
Even with Kiffin as a protracted shot, the mere indisputable fact that this can be a dialog highlights how sizzling the seat is underneath Daboll in the meanwhile. New York finds itself after Week 10 useless final within the NFC East at 2-8, and the membership is at the moment on a four-game dropping streak. That streak features a 33-32 loss to the Broncos in Week 7, the place the Giants allowed Denver to attain all of these factors in a frantic fourth-quarter comeback.
If Daboll, who’s 20-40-1 in his 61 regular-season video games as head coach of the Giants, does not present indicators of turning it round between now and the tip of the season, it might power proprietor John Mara’s hand to make a change.
And if that change is not towards somebody like Kiffin, let’s spotlight three different attainable choices.
Jesse Minter
Present position: Defensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers
Possession and followers alike might want an offensive-minded head coach to additional cater to Dart’s improvement, however do not sleep on a man like Jesse Minter, both. New York has invested closely alongside the line of defense by buying the likes of Brian Burns, signing Dexter Lawrence to a big-money extension, and drafting Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux inside the highest 5 of the NFL Draft in recent times. That unit has the potential to be among the many finest within the NFL, and will attain that with somebody like Minter on the helm, which might, in flip, assist Dart and the offense.
Minter, who was the defensive coordinator on the College of Michigan and adopted Jim Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers in the identical position, has presided over some dominant defenses. In 2024, the Chargers ranked No. 1 in factors allowed and are No. 6 within the league in yards allowed in 2025 (getting into Week 10).
Kliff Kingsbury
Present position: Offensive coordinator, Washington Commanders
Final offseason, we noticed former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson settle for a head teaching job within the division with Chicago, so possibly Kingsbury might be the most recent to observe that observe. Kingsbury has finished wonders for the Commanders offense with a younger Jayden Daniels, and will carry an analogous enhance to Dart’s improvement in New York. On high of being one of many high offensive minds within the NFL, he additionally comes with prior head teaching expertise, main the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022. Kingsbury went simply 28-37-1 over that tenure, however it did embrace an 11-6 report in 2021.
Klint Kubiak
Present position: Offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks
Kubiak is anticipated to be a well-liked title this upcoming hiring cycle, particularly after he has turned the Seattle Seahawks offense into among the best within the league. Coming into Week 10, Sam Darnold is enjoying at an MVP degree and averaging 9.6 yards per try. In the meantime, Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the moment leads the NFL with 948 yards receiving and is on tempo to be the league’s first 2,000-yard receiver. Might he work related magic with Dart and a wholesome Malik Nabers with the Giants?
