Lane Kiffin Wife: Inside His Past Marriage and Current Relationship Status
When people search “Lane Kiffin wife,” they’re usually trying to figure out if the Ole Miss head coach is married now, still with his ex, or quietly dating someone new. Lane Kiffin’s career has played out loudly in public—from the NFL to Tennessee, USC, FAU, and now Ole Miss—but his personal life has always been a mix of very public headlines and very private details. In this article, we’ll walk through his marriage to Layla, their divorce, his role as a dad, and what we actually know about his relationship status today.
Who Is Lane Kiffin? A Quick Background
Lane Kiffin was born on May 9, 1975, into a football family. His father, Monte Kiffin, became one of the most respected defensive coordinators in NFL history, best known for his work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Growing up around film rooms and locker rooms, Lane seemed destined for coaching.
After playing quarterback at Fresno State, he moved straight into coaching, rising extremely fast. By his early 30s, he was head coach of the Oakland Raiders, then took over at Tennessee, then USC, and eventually resurfaced as head coach at Florida Atlantic before landing at Ole Miss in 2020. His sharp offensive mind and sometimes chaotic job changes have kept him firmly in the national spotlight.
That spotlight doesn’t stop at football. Fans are equally curious about his home life, especially his ex-wife and the mother of his children, Layla.
Lane Kiffin’s Marriage to Layla Kiffin
For years, the answer to “who is Lane Kiffin wife?” was straightforward: Layla Reaves Kiffin. Layla comes from her own football-famous family. She is the daughter of former Florida and NFL quarterback John Reaves, who also played in the United States Football League.
Lane and Layla met through college-football circles, and sources differ a bit on the exact moment, but most agree their paths crossed while Lane was climbing the coaching ranks at major programs. They married in 2004, during the period when Kiffin was working at USC.
Together they built a family that followed his career from job to job. Layla was a constant presence during his Tennessee and USC years, often photographed at games and events with their kids. While Lane handled the chaos of coaching changes and media scrutiny, Layla kept a much lower profile, focusing on home life and supporting their children.
The couple welcomed three kids: daughters Landry and Presley, and son Monte Knox, usually known simply as Knox. Landry was born in 2004 or 2005, Presley in 2006 or 2007, and Knox in 2009, giving them a busy, close-in-age trio.
From the outside, they looked like the classic coach’s family: football legend dad, supportive wife, three kids in team colors on the sideline. But behind the scenes, tension was building.
Their Divorce and Life After the Split
In 2016, Lane and Layla divorced after roughly 12 years of marriage. The split became public while Lane was still closely tied to major programs, and it surprised many fans who thought the couple looked solid from the outside.
Reports around that time suggested that strain in the marriage had been building for a while. Some outlets claimed alleged infidelity played a role, though the couple themselves kept their public statements measured, focusing on protecting their kids rather than airing details.
After the divorce, Layla largely disappeared from the national spotlight, choosing a quieter life centered on raising Landry, Presley, and Knox. Lane moved on to new coaching jobs—first as offensive coordinator at Alabama, then as head coach at Florida Atlantic, and later Ole Miss—while continuing to co-parent from a distance when work required him to live in another state.
By the time he took the head coaching job at Ole Miss in 2020, the kids’ lives were naturally split between parents and places. Over time, though, Kiffin began working toward having them closer. A 2024 People profile noted that Landry eventually moved to Oxford for her senior year of high school and then enrolled at Ole Miss as a business student, while Knox became a high-school quarterback in Oxford and Presley committed to play volleyball at USC.
The divorce may have ended the marriage, but it didn’t erase the family. Lane has spoken about becoming a more involved dad as his career stabilized, and his kids now feature more frequently in stories about his life.
Who Is Lane Kiffin Dating Now?
So if Layla is his ex, who fills the “Lane Kiffin wife” or partner role today? Officially, Lane Kiffin is not remarried, but he has had a notable dating history since the divorce.
In the years right after the split, he was widely linked to Jennifer Dardano, a Florida-based real-estate agent and USC alum. Reports suggested they began dating around 2017, not long after his divorce from Layla.
More recently, attention shifted to Sally Rychlak, an Ole Miss alum and former cheerleader. Several outlets reported that Kiffin has been dating Rychlak since around early 2023. She graduated from Ole Miss in 2019 with a marketing degree and now works in university development; her Ole Miss connections and background in athletics made the pairing especially interesting to Rebel fans.
As of mid-2025, stories continue to describe Sally as his girlfriend rather than his wife, and there has been no credible announcement of an engagement or remarriage. That means, strictly speaking, Lane Kiffin does not have a “wife” right now, even if he is in a committed relationship.
Are Lane and Layla Back Together?
Adding a twist to the story, recent coverage has stirred up talk that Kiffin and Layla might be rekindling their relationship. In late 2024 and early 2025, Lane began posting more photos with Layla and their children, and they were seen spending holidays together.
Sports Illustrated and other outlets went so far as to suggest the couple had “rekindled their love,” citing Christmas trips, New York City outings, and family TikToks as evidence. Kiffin then reshared one of these stories with a cryptic emoji, which only fueled speculation.
Some more recent reports have even claimed that Layla and their son Knox are moving to Oxford to be closer to Lane and their daughter Landry.
However, it’s important to note that none of this equals a confirmed remarriage. The most accurate way to frame it is that Lane and Layla appear to have a much closer, possibly reconciled relationship today than they did immediately after the divorce—but there’s no official statement that they are husband and wife again. At minimum, they seem to be co-parenting in a warmer, more unified way.
Lane Kiffin’s Approach to Family Today
Regardless of whom he’s dating, Lane Kiffin’s most stable and visible role is that of a father. He shares three children with Layla: Landry, now a college student at Ole Miss; Presley, a USC volleyball player; and Knox, a rising quarterback prospect at Oxford High.
Recent profiles emphasize how Kiffin has worked to be more present as his career has settled at Ole Miss. With Landry living in Oxford and Knox playing locally, he can be at more games, practices, and everyday moments than when his jobs required constant moves. He often talks about his kids with pride and humor, and their futures in sports and school are becoming storylines of their own.
Featured Image Source: usatoday
