Sources: Kiffin likely to sign with LSU on Sunday

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Lane Kiffin saga is finally coming to an end.

Sources told ESPN on Saturday that the expectation is LSU will hire Kiffin on Sunday. A source cautioned that the deal was not signed as of late Saturday night, but added that it'd be a shock if he didn't sign the deal.

Should he agree to the contract, it would pay him, a source said, around $12 million annually, across seven seasons, with the potential for bonuses, making him among one of the highest paid coaches in the sport.

Kiffin, 50, and Rebels just wrapped up an 11-1 regular season with a 38-19 win over rival Mississippi State, all but assuring them a berth in the 12-team College Football Playoff. That said, the expectation among Ole Miss officials is that Kiffin will not coach the Rebels in the CFP, barring an unexpected change.

Sources told ESPN's Marty Smith on Sunday that Kiffin will hold a 10 a.m. ET meeting with Ole Miss players, followed by an announcement about his future.

After Kiffin said he would decide on Saturday whether he'll coach at Ole Miss or LSU in 2026, he met with Rebels athletics director Keith Carter and chancellor Glenn Boyce for a couple of hours at the chancellor's home in Oxford.

But the day came and went without an announcement.

There was a growing sense at Ole Miss on Saturday that Kiffin might coach the Rebels in one more game if they clinched a spot in next week's SEC championship game in Atlanta.

However, No. 10 Alabama's 27-20 victory against rival Auburn in Saturday night's Iron Bowl eliminated the Rebels. The Crimson Tide will play No. 4 Georgia for the SEC title.

While Florida and LSU courted Kiffin, Carter and Boyce were adamant that he wouldn't be allowed to coach the Rebels in the CFP if Kiffin took a job with an SEC rival. Kiffin had lobbied the Ole Miss administrators to change their minds, but Carter and Boyce dug in their heels on that issue.

Among other reasons, Ole Miss doesn't want Kiffin around its players with the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2. The Rebels also don't want their CFP games to be a "commercial" for LSU's future under Kiffin.

Even with Kiffin potentially leaving, the Rebels will probably still be in the mix to host a first-round CFP game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Dec. 19 or 20.