Patriots Nemesis Eli Manning Reacts To Fake College Coaching Rumors

Phony tweets aside, Eli Manning probably isn’t following Bill Belichick into college football.

Lane Kiffin exited Ole Miss to accept the LSU head coaching job, leaving Manning’s alma mater scrambling for answers amid a College Football Playoff push. The former Rebels quarterback isn’t the likely solution.

Manning responded to a tweet from “274 Sports,” a parody account of 247 Sports, falsely claiming that Ole Miss aims to quickly appoint Manning as the new head coach. The former New York Giants quarterback played along with fake news that appeared to dupe some social media users.

“‘Coach Manning’ has a nice ring to it,” Manning quipped.

After much speculation, Kiffin will leave an Ole Miss team that should compete for a national title in the 12-team CFP after going 11-1 in the regular season. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding, not Manning, will serve as the interim head coach.

Manning coaching in the SEC would have created some family tension. His nephew, Arch Manning, is currently the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns.

Instead of pursuing his first coaching gig, Manning can prepare for a familiar matchup. The Giants will play the New England Patriots in a rematch of both of the Hall of Fame candidate’s Super Bowl victories.

Perhaps Manning will have more to say about the Ole Miss situation while working the game for ESPN2’s “Manningcast” on Monday night. Patriots fans may rather listen to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the traditional ESPN broadcast, which starts at 8:15 p.m. ET.