Pete Prisco Says No to Lane Kiffin as Brian Daboll’s Replacement Despite Coaching Jaxson Dart in College

After having taken one too many chances with the health of Jason Dart, the New York Giants have officially terminated the contract of head coach Brian Daboll. Of course, when you consider that he’s produced three consecutive 2-8 starts to the regular season, it was a given that this would happen.

The Daboll era is finally over, and everyone is beginning to shift their focus toward his would-be replacement. From Lane Kiffin to Brian Flores, there is certainly no shortage of potential suitors for New York. But Pete Prisco is already ruling out Kiffin.

“I think it’s highly unlikely,” Prisco announced about Kiffin on CBS Sports. According to the veteran columnist, there are several reasons the college coach won’t be making a return to the NFL, and many of them are personal and simply bigger than the game of football.

“Lane Kiffin has changed. His father passed away, and I think he’s become a changed guy,” Prisco observed. “He’s happy in Mississippi. I’d be astounded if he went back to the NFL. Just because he coached Jaxson Dart doesn’t mean he’s going to go to the NFL, so I’d say ‘no’ on that one.”

After the emergence of Dart as a potential long-term solution to the Giants’ quarterback woes, fans have been clamoring for a head coach who can utilize the QB’s talents while also keeping him safe. The 22-year-old has taken more than 75 hits and has been evaluated for a concussion on four separate occasions in the nine games of his career.

This is where it’s worth remembering that Dart was enthusiastically looking for physical contact even when he was at Mississippi with Kiffin. After all, it’s that very same physicality that helped to make him a personal favorite of Jon Gruden during his 2025 NFL Draft evaluations.

So a head coaching change alone isn’t going to be enough to prevent Dart from taking hits. That’s just how he prefers to play football, and when you pair that with the adversity that Kiffin has gone through in recent times, it seems that the Mississippi coach shouldn’t be viewed as ‘the guy’ for the Giants.

Prisco believes Antonio Pierce is a name to keep an eye on through the coming weeks. “The guy won a Super Bowl for the Giants,” he noted. “I would talk to Antonio Pierce. I’d bring him. I’d want to hear his plan… He is a leader of men. I think people would respond to him.”

Regardless of who the Giants end up choosing as their next head coach, the good news is that they have more than enough time to make the right decision. Seeing as they believe themselves to have already found their next franchise quarterback, there’s certainly no need for them to rush when it comes to either their search or the idea of putting Dart back on the field.