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Let’s look at the history for Kiffin

Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:25 pm
Posted by Geauxgurt
Member since Sep 2013
13299 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:25 pm
Was a highly regarding assistant at USC during their title runs.

Gets offered the opportunity of a lifetime as a youngster to be an NFL head coach, but is not ready for it and also goes to a dysfunctional franchise in the Raiders.

Returns to college at UTk and has a decent year only to have USC (a much better job at the time) come calling. Sure he bailed, but anyone with a brain is making that switch.

He then gets there only to be hit with sanctions from the Reggie bush and other scandals. Still goes 10-2 and wins division. The sanctions start to have a negative impact at that point and team struggles.

Goes to Bama as OC and QB coach to get experience and training under a top tier coach. Helps them win an NC in 2015. Decides to move on to get back into head coaching. Saban relieves him of duties as OC to not split focus with them and FAU.

Does great at FAU and takes a step up to Ole Miss. Builds them up and takes what is clearly a better overall job at LSU as is being reported.

Orgeron was the bigger issue in how they left Tennessee, and now he is leaving at the time he is because of asinine rules/time schedules put in place outside his control.

He has his flaws and the media are trying to portray him badly, but for all we know, Ole Miss is the one that gave the coaches the ultimatum, and not Kiffin.

He always left for a better position and not some lateral move, but gets attacked for it.


Posted by Tiger Voodoo
Champs 03 07 09 11(fack) 19!!!
Member since Mar 2007
22100 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:26 pm to
I have laid this out repeatedly since 2021.

He isn’t a job hopper.




ETA:

quote:

NFL head coach, but is not ready for it and also goes to a dysfunctional franchise in the Raiders



This needs a lot more context.


We have no idea if he was “ready” or not. Davis immediately sabotaged the whole project by forcing Jamarcus on him with the #1 pick when Davis himself told anyone that would listen that Kiffin was adamantly opposed to.

JR then holds out until midseason, shows up completely out of shape, doesn’t take a snap until December, doesn’t start until week 17.

Davis then spends the whole offseason trying to force him out, and fires him four games into year 2.

That’s the only reason he was at Tennessee to begin with. So when Carroll left late for the NFL, USC threw the bank at him and he felt pulled to go back to where he felt he never should have left and wouldn’t have if Davis hadn’t conned him in the first place.

Sure, it was unprecedented and awful optics, but looking at it objectively made perfect sense from his perspective.

Now from UTs perspective, I can understand the outrage as well. But their lunatic fans burn part of campus down and ESPN hacks run with the idea that he’s some third world dictator fleeing an uprising from the masses. That combined with the smear campaign that crazy arse Al Davis had engaged in for two years turned into a Scarlett letter that remains to this day.


Then before he ever coaches a game, SC gets slammed with generational penalties, and the expectations at SC become almost impossible to meet.

To be fair, Lane was there for a good portion of what those sanctions were aimed at, but not as HC. So while I’m sure he was aware and even involved to an extent, even though some of that blame lays with him, he wasn’t the one calling the shots. And even now, many feel those sanctions were unreasonable.


But after being fired, with an assist from his “best friend” O, he went to Bama in 2014 and the rest is history.

Three very successful years there, with offers to leave every year. Followed by three very successful years at FAU, a clear stepping stone job, again with offers to leave every year.


Now SIX years in Oxford, another clear stepping stone position despite their unwillingness to admit it, again with job offers every single year.

He finally makes the move when arguably a top 5 job in the country opens up and the media act like it’s UT all over again????

frick Finebaum and every other click bait whore that try to drum up controversy at every opportunity so they can feel relevant and justify their miserable existence.



This is going to be a fun ride in Baton Rouge baws, tune it all out and enjoy fall Saturdays again for years to come.






This post was edited on 11/30/25 at 7:31 pm
Posted by CalTiger53
California
Member since Oct 2011
9765 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:26 pm to
6 years at Ole Miss is a long time for that school. He can retire at LSU if he does well.
Posted by SPEEDY
2005 Tiger Smack Poster of the Year
Member since Dec 2003
87142 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:26 pm to
Posted by BarnHater
Member since May 2015
7756 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:27 pm to
The best part about all of this is you know he’s staying here. He’s not leaving. We don’t even have to deal with the drama Ole Miss is dealing with

There isn’t a better coaching job in all of CFB than ours. He’s staying here until he retires.
Posted by MrSpock
Member since Sep 2015
5070 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:28 pm to
He's only 50.

Saban was 48 when he first came to LSU.
Posted by coolpapaboze
Parts Unknown
Member since Dec 2006
20818 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:28 pm to
quote:

Orgeron was the bigger issue in how they left Tennessee,
Can you explain this, not sure I follow.
Posted by Tiger Voodoo
Champs 03 07 09 11(fack) 19!!!
Member since Mar 2007
22100 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 12:48 pm to
The only thing I can think of is rumors that O was talking to UT recruits trying to get them to LA while they were still there, but I assume Lane was in on that and just let the bag man do the dirty work as always.

Posted by Geauxgurt
Member since Sep 2013
13299 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 1:01 pm to
quote:

Can you explain this, not sure I follow.


As someone else stated, O was telling recruits to bail on Tennessee and even some players who were on the team already.

No one ever said Lane was the one doing that, but he gets blamed for it.
Posted by Jugular Joe
Member since Jan 2020
5329 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 1:05 pm to
12 recruiting violations while at Tennessee.

A CFB record for just 1 year.

Leaves a major school after just 1 year like a little bitch.

Fired on the tarmac at USC. Only time that's ever happened in CFB history.

Leaves a school that is headed for the playoffs. First head coach to ever do that in the history of the playoff system.

He's a peach.

.

Posted by BengalShark
Member since Jul 2017
4243 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 1:08 pm to
DIDNT READ STILL UPVOTED

Posted by beauchristopher
Member since Jan 2008
72453 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 1:09 pm to
he's been at Ole Miss for 5 years and some people are already worried about him leaving.

many coaches don't even last 5 years.

i don't see why he would willingly leave LSU if he's having success.
Posted by Tiger Voodoo
Champs 03 07 09 11(fack) 19!!!
Member since Mar 2007
22100 posts
Posted on 11/30/25 at 7:17 pm to
quote:

12 recruiting violations while at Tennessee.

A CFB record for just 1 year.



Assuming this is even true (link would be nice), what were the violations?

What type of sanctions came down as a result of these outrageous indiscretions?

You make it sound like he was caught throwing sacks of cash at a dozen recruits.


We know one of them was mentioning a recruits name at the UT Signing Day party. What a scumbag!!



quote:

Leaves a major school after just 1 year like a little bitch



Thank you for the hard hitting insight there, Jugular Joe.



quote:

Fired on the tarmac at USC. Only time that's ever happened in CFB history.



quote:

On September 8, 2014, Haden and USC football coach Steve Sarkisian were reprimanded by Pac-12 Conference commissioner Larry Scott for attempting "to influence the officiating, and ultimately the outcome of a contest" during the September 6 game with Stanford. Haden was fined $25,000.[8]


Yeah, Pat Haden is the gold standard of ADs, clearly a very rational guy that had no choice but to leave Kiffin on the runway




quote:

Leaves a school that is headed for the playoffs. First head coach to ever do that in the history of the playoff system



Ever hear of Urban Meyer? Jon Sumrall? Kalen Deboer?

Probably others if I cared to look, but you clearly already have your mind made up about Kiffin. Enjoy this era, Jugs, might just be a long one
This post was edited on 11/30/25 at 7:29 pm
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