Reports: Arkansas AD meets with Lane Kiffin in Florida about vacant Razorbacks coaching job
Lane Kiffin has been a name that has been mentioned for the vacant Arkansas head coaching job. The Florida Atlantic head coach, who has led the Owls since 2017, has gone on record on Twitter saying that he’d probably rather stay in Boca Raton for now after being wooed by a Razorbacks fan.
According to reports, though, school officials may be laying their cards on the table and ready to make a move to bring the former Tennessee head coach and Alabama offensive coordinator back to the SEC.
Per a tweet from USA Today’s Dan Wolken, a plane tied to the University of Arkansas was spotted in Boca Raton on Sunday, with athletic director Hunter Yuracek and senior staff member Jon Fagg in town presumably to meet with Kiffin.
Arkansas fans have been tracking planes all day. After doing some digging, the search team led by Hunter Yurachek and Jon Fagg is indeed hopping around talking to candidates. They were in Boca Raton today, per two sources. More interviews scheduled.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 1, 2019
Radio host John Nabors also posted a tweet seeming to corroborate Wolken’s report.
CONFIRMED: The tracked plane has taken off from Boca Raton. En route towards Springdale, Arkansas. pic.twitter.com/6iKchLQikl
— π π€ππ£ π ππππ€π§π¨ πΊπΈ (@RushJohnNabors) December 1, 2019
While Kiffin’s time at Tennessee ended acrimoniously after his departure for USC after 1 year, followed by him being infamously fired on the tarmac of LAX in 2013 following a loss at Arizona State, he’s bounced back over the past few years. After his 3-year stint under Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, he was hired at FAU, where he currently holds a 25-13 overall record. The Owls will face UAB on Saturday as they seek their 2nd Conference USA title in 3 seasons.
Bringing Kiffin on board at Arkansas, then, would undoubtedly re-energize a fanbase looking for a spark after the failed tenure of Chad Morris.
Lane! Hang on more Power 5 coaching jobs opening up by the hour! Jobs a lot better than Arkansas.
If nothing else, being a head coach at Arkansas ought to teach him some humility.
This needs to happen, along with Ol’Miss hiring Leach.
That would be an epic, double barrel brand of fun.
As much fun as Leach is, can he please go to the East. I don’t want Auburn to have to face him every year.
Would prefer to see him in the SEC West driving Saban nuts. He’s older and wiser, and a very good recruiter and offensive coach. Ole Miss would be perfect.
Has an assistant every beat saban.. why makes you think Kiffin can
* what
Heβs talking about Leach going to Ole Miss I believe.
Am I the only one that sees that Lane Kiffin would be a terrible hire? Aside from being terribly mediocre at UT and USC, we have 3 years at FAU from which to judge him. Unless someone can articulate why a pair of decent years at at a C-USA school (with one 5-7 year sandwiched in between) in which he beat exactly zero Power 5 schools warrants consideration for an SEC job, I can’t understand why anyone would be excited about this hire. Leach is 1,000,000x more qualified and a better fit for Arkansas. Don’t let the golden opportunity for redemption for not hiring him 2 years ago pass again.
Don’t worry. Have you ever been to Boca Raton? He’s not coming to Arkansas.
Yeah, I saw that story a few weeks ago, and actually, yes, I have. Wife has an uncle that lives down that way…
Just not seeing why everyone goes nuts over this guy, as I’ve seen him mentioned as a possible candidate at other schools as well. C-USA may legitimately be the worst Power 5 conference in America (yes, I hold the Sun Belt in higher esteem). Regularly beating Marshall, Rice, UTSA, FIU and UTEP every year doesn’t really give me reason to believe the same turnaround could be expected in the SEC, let alone the SEC West.
Partly because of his OC work at Alabama, although you have to factor in the roster talent he had. And partly because he was an excellent recruiter at USC, going back to before he got the USC head coaching job. (He and Orgeron were USC’s two best recruiters under Pete Carroll.)
I think he’s in a bit of a Catch-22 now though. I think he probably would only take a major Power 5 job, and I doubt any major Power 5 job is going to be offered to him.
Let me throw another C-USA name at you then. Bill Clark at UAB. Took a team that shut their program down and has made bowl games all 3 years since, will likely have back-to-back 10 win seasons, won their conference for the first time last year and is playing for it again this week. I think teams like Arkansas and especially Ole Miss would be crazy to not have him as a top 3 candidate for the job.
Kiffin is not leaving beaches and babes. He is doing this for a contract extension and more money.
I agree. I don’t think Fayetteville is big enough or “cool” enough for a narcissist like Kiffin. He doesn’t want his old boss Saban handing him his a$$ every year. At FAU, he has far less pressure on him, and I’m sure he prefers the South Florida lifestyle to the Bible Belt.
The problem for Arky is now there are mo betta jobs open. He could go to COMO and play the East plus Arky and whatever Houston Nutt clone you wind up hiring.