Lane Kiffin spent 3 seasons as the Alabama offensive coordinator under the legendary Nick Saban, a run from 2014-16 that included a national championship in 2015.
So, the current LSU head coach and the current ESPN college football analyst have had a lot of time together in college football and on the same sideline. They share a proud history in Tuscaloosa, with Saban as a mentor of sorts for Kiffin during his time at Alabama.
Now, things are different, as Kiffin has taken over at LSU and has been immersed in controversy lately, which is really nothing new for him. On Saturday morning, Saban was by his side, as the ESPN College GameDay crew descended on Baton Rouge for Saturday night’s Week 1 showdown between Kiffin’s 11th-ranked Tigers and Clemson.
The battle will be waged in primetime with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC, but hours before that, Kiffin joined the College GameDay crew and shared a special moment with Saban.
“You did a great job in coming in and helping us at Alabama, and I can tell you I am so proud of what you’ve been able to do at every stop, and I know you are going to do a great job at LSU,” Saban told Kiffin.
ESPN host Rece Davis sarcastically asked Kiffin if Saban’s praise was anything like that when Kiffin coached under him at Alabama.
“I’ve come a long ways and changed a lot of things, and so any problems that we had were my fault,” Lane Kiffin said. “I’ve said it before, sometimes it’s like you grow up and later on you realize, man, I’m kind of becoming like my dad. I feel that way with (Saban), and now I understand why he did the things he did and why he’s the best coach to ever do it.”
After sharing that tender moment with Saban, Kiffin had a very big game to coach on Saturday night against Clemson. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds to win the showdown in primetime between the 2 programs who call Death Valley home:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
