Lane Kiffin hints at Nick Saban’s influence on his choice to take LSU job
By David Wasson
Published:
New LSU Tigers coach Lane Kiffin met with the media Monday for the first time since bolting Oxford to take over in Baton Rouge and took a moment to call out a former LSU coach that won a national title for the school.
That being Nick Saban, of course. Kiffin has consistently referred to Saban as a mentor through this process and said he spoke to the former Alabama coach before making his decision.
“Coach Saban kinda coached at another place in this conference, so I can’t really say exactly what he said,” Kiffin said with a smile. “I think the world of Coach Saban and I respect him, so there’s a reason I’m here.”
Saban coached LSU from 2000-04, going 48-16 overall with 2 SEC championships and the 2003 national title – the first for LSU since 1958. LSU’s 13-1 season in 2003 broke the school record for wins in a single season. Saban departed LSU after the 2004 season to coach the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Kiffin served as Saban’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16 and is widely credited for advancing Alabama’s passing attack. Saban hired Kiffin shortly after Kiffin was fired by USC and chose him to replace Doug Nussmeier. Kiffin was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top college football assistant coach, in 2014. But Kiffin departed Alabama on controversial terms after accepting the FAU head coaching job during Alabama’s run to the 2017 College Football Playoff title game.
Kiffin was hired by LSU on Sunday after 6 seasons at Ole Miss, including the 2025 campaign that saw the Rebels go 11-1 and earn a presumptive berth in the College Football Playoff.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
