Few coaches have had as interesting a career as Lane Kiffin. He got his first big break when former Raiders owner Al Davis took a big chance on him when he was the 31-year-old offensive coordinator at USC.
While it didn’t work out with the Raiders at the time, Davis was right about Kiffin being a football coach with a lot of potential. After getting fired by Davis, Kiffin had stops as the head coach of Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic before finding the right landing spot at Ole Miss.
He turned the Rebels into one of the best programs in college football, but he now finds himself at the center of controversy. Ole Miss is likely headed to the College Football Playoffs amid an 11-1 season.
However, they’ll have to do it without Kiffin. He has accepted the head coaching job at LSU, and the program has decided to sever ties with him effective immediately.
Speaking of the Raiders, head coach Pete Carroll played a role in Kiffin’s ultimate decision to leave Ole Miss.
“I talked to some mentors, coach Carroll, coach Saban,” Kiffin told ESPN. “And especially when Coach Carroll said, ‘Your dad would tell you to go, man. Take the shot. Take the shot, you accomplished a lot [at Ole Miss].’”
Old Al Davis Quotes About Kiffin Resurface
Nobody can deny that Kiffin is a solid college football coach. Ole Miss has been irrelevant for years, but he’s turned them into a top program.
He also won a National Championship as an offensive coordinator at Alabama. Despite that, he always seems to find himself at the center of negative headlines.
It was nearly two decades ago when Al Davis decided to fire Kiffin and give one of the most iconic press conferences in NFL history. During the press conference, Davis had referred to Kiffin as a “con man” and a liar.
Due to the way Kiffin has handled the LSU rumors, many have been reminded of the Davis quotes. While the coach is a different person than he was in 2009, it seems like he’s up to a lot of the same antics.
Can Kiffin Have Success at LSU?
LSU has been a tough nut to crack. Outside of Ed Orgeron’s magical 15-0 2019 season, which is considered one of the greatest college football teams ever, the program has had limited success.
They previously gave big money to Brian Kelly, which was always a curious choice. He was fired this season.
Kiffin should be a better cultural fit for LSU. He grew up in the Midwest and spent a lot of his young adult life in California, but he’s been in the south for over a decade now. He knows what it takes to recruit players in the region.
LSU consistently gets some of the best players in the country. The NFL continues to be littered with LSU talent. Kiffin is going to have the most talent he’s ever had to work with. If he can put the drama to the side, there’s a chance he could build a powerhouse.
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