Has Lane changed? We'll see, but it was worth it for Ole Miss to find out who the new Lane Kiffin is
The Lane Train is rolling back to the SEC.
What a fitting sentence to usher in a new decade of college football. Lane Kiffin is going to Ole Miss, and he has an annual date with Nick Saban.
You know, just like he had 10 years ago at Tennessee. The only difference? Well, Kiffin isn’t going to Ole Miss for a year, and he’s not an early-30s coach with one eye staring at Urban Meyer’s dominance at Florida with the other eye on his dream job at USC. At least that’s what we think.
Ten years after one of the wildest roller coasters in SEC history, Kiffin is returning to the league where his status as “college football enigma” was etched in stone.
And yes, it was worth it for Ole Miss to find out if Kiffin can make a name for his coaching and not his antics.
To be clear, no puff piece of Kiffin enjoying life in Boca Raton is proof that he’ll be that person in Oxford. That’s not taking a shot at any of those stories or the people who wrote them. Kiffin spent the past 3 years talking about being at peace living in South Florida. He didn’t need to talk about his desire to rise back up the coaching ranks because if we’re being honest, we were going to do all of that for him.
Kiffin did tell ESPN going into his 3rd season at FAU that it would be difficult to turn down the allure of returning to the SEC. Who could blame Kiffin? He had unfinished business after the way it ended at Tennessee, and probably some more with the way things ended at Alabama.
Speaking of that, can we take a moment and appreciate that we now have a window in time — who knows how long it’ll be — in which we get annual Saban vs. Kiffin matchups? Can we get Kiffin trolling Saban on Twitter before and after every game? Is that a little greedy?
Let’s just hope that this is the type of content we all get from Kiffin:
Sounds like Lane Kiffin’s son “Knox” is excited to be heading to Oxford.
“SEC SEC” Chant 😂😂. #OleMiss pic.twitter.com/9p0w6h19Ib
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 7, 2019
No matter what type of attitude Kiffin takes with him to Oxford, the fact that one of the best offensive minds in college football has a Power 5 head coaching job again is entertaining in itself. The guy who revolutionized the Alabama offense is now going to try to take Ole Miss to the next level.
The question is what Kiffin will do with an offense that was electric and young, but different. The Clarion-Ledger report that came out following the meeting that Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter had with Ole Miss players was telling. If Kiffin’s presence can squash the notion that as much as “half the team” could transfer, all the better. One would think that guys like John Rhys Plumlee and Jerrion Ealy would be fired up to see an offensive-minded guy like Kiffin coming to Oxford.
There’s no guarantee of that. There’s also no guarantee that Kiffin walks into Ole Miss and flips the division on its head. Alabama, Auburn and LSU are still on a level that Ole Miss won’t reach next year, or maybe even the year after that. But if Kiffin retains the majority of the SEC’s top rushing attack, which was the offense that had the least amount of returning production of any FBS team in America, who knows? Those “Ole Miss is better than their record shows” could follow a 7-win season instead of a 4-win season.
One thing we know? He’s is going to be able to recruit. And if Mike Norvell leaves Memphis for Florida State, well that’s another solid recruiting market that Kiffin can corner. Don’t judge Kiffin’s recruiting upside based on this 2-week window he has before the Early Signing Period. Wait and see what his first full cycle looks like for an Ole Miss program that’s not dealing with sanctions.
This is exactly why Ole Miss fans were hoping that Carter would replace Luke. They wanted to see what kind of candidate the job could attract if it hit the open market for the first time since 2011. Just for a little perspective, the last time the Ole Miss job truly came open was when Kiffin was in Year 2 at USC (Saban is the only active SEC coach who is still at his current job).
Oh, and Ed Orgeron was Kiffin’s defensive line coach. In case you forgot.
Picture going back in time to 2009 and telling an Ole Miss fan, “Welcome to 2020. Kiffin is your new head coach, and his new biggest challenge is building up an offense that can keep up with Orgeron’s at LSU.”
All the irony.
Look no further than Orgeron for showing why second chances can happen. Or look at Mack Brown. Or look at Saban himself.
This is a second chance for Kiffin. Or a third chance. Whatever it is, it’s a new opportunity. It’s one that Kiffin earned by showing he can keep his head down and build up a program instead of just take over one and look like he’s in over his head.
We don’t know if Kiffin will be in over his head in Oxford. Ask an average Ole Miss fan that question and they’ll probably say “well, he won’t be in over his head any worse than Matt Luke was.” Again, those are their hypothetical words. Not mine.
Had Carter not brought in a household name like Kiffin, the pressure on Luke’s successor would have been great internally and externally. That’s not the case. While there’s pressure on Kiffin to dominate this leg of his redemption tour, he will have plenty of support to make this work.
Carter did the best he could to clean up the mess that he made a short week ago. Go figure that Kiffin, of all people, is the person associated with cleaning up a mess instead of creating it.
All aboard the Lane Train (again). We’re all in for one heck of a ride.
Doubtful he has changed. Still hooking up with coeds and running bubble screens.
I cannot say I have kept a track on Kiffin but for those of us who have not, can you tell us when he was doing that in Boca Raton?
Just call him Coach Quagmire
Giggity Giggity!
You think Freeze was up to his armpits with burner phones? …Lane says hold my beer.
LMAO
Ole Miss was not SEC’s top rushing attack.
Going to be very entertaining for all SEC fans
Was that Sabans daughter? Lol
Boy Kiffin and Ole Miss, with their recent history is going to be interesting. I wonder if they’ll miraculously sign 5-5-star player’s in the 2021 signing class?
I’m sure you’ll be the first to complain if they do
He is just jealous bc Ole Miss will win a NC before Jawja ever does….lol.
Lol
Boca Raton is part of a larger metro area and most people have better things to do than worry about FAU football and Lane Kiffin. Ole Miss is in Oxford, MS, a college town if there ever was one. Every move will be scrutinized. I hope he has grown up and I hope he does well. I like the SEC and I like underdogs, and I hope Lane is the right guy.
I am 40 minutes south of Boca and hear crickets about FAU football and Kiffin.
I would take him over Smart anytime.
The sooner Kiffin turns Ole Miss around the sooner he will bolt to another bigger better football program. Just like FAU. He may last 3 years at Ole Miss
Momentum. If Kiffin turns Ole Miss around, then big name coaches will feel much more at ease taking over the program. If we just get three great years out of Kiffin we are more than pleased. Programs like Ole Miss, Arkansas, Vandy, etc are going to find it near impossible to get a big name coach who wants to coach at a pitiful program. Memphis got very lucky that the coach who turned them around left and then they were able to hire another coach to keep the momentum going.
Lane Kiffin’s success at Ole Miss is the important aspect, not how long he stays. With the Million$$$ of Bucks these SEC coaches make now, few…ever stay a long time. We’ll all witness how it works out, but he sure can mentor Quarterbacks and create an offense around the players that he has, which is important at any school.
The school that fired Matt Luke-a home grown Reb, in the wake of the Dog Pee stunt that basically cost Ole Miss the Egg Bowl is now hiring…Lane Kiffin!? There’s got to be a meme in here somewhere.
Al Davis warned everybody in 2008. Few listened. This could be an Admiral Ackbar moment for the Rebel Black Bear Landshark Alliance. (It’s a trap!)
Kiffin is a very good coach and to say otherwise is just being contrarian. The Vols wanted to keep him desperately; he had success at Alabama and FAU. The only negative stuff you can mention are in his private life. I get that there tons of reasons not to like him personally, but out on that field we should all give him respect. College Football is all about momentum. Ole Miss lost it when Freeze left. Look at MSU replacing Mullen and now floundering. If you want to be a top program you have to make bold moves and not just hope that you will catch fire with middle-of-the-road coaches.
Wrong. Saying otherwise is simply looking at the record. Being “a very good coach” would require more than a few years at FAU, not to mention his quitter mentality at UT. In the last 10 years, what coach HASN’T had success at Alabama?
Home run hire and one of two coaches you could legitimately can Luke for.
Ole Miss better start funding that buy out ASAP. The “Lane Train” is simply making another stop at the bank….
Kiffin doesn’t need to win the SEC West to be successful at Ole Miss. He just needs to win 8-9 games a year. There’s a good chance he will.
He completed his Saban rehab program, then he went and built a winner at FAU.
He will definitely make news and he will definitely get butts back in the seats. He’s also an excellent recruiter. He and Orgeron were Pete Carroll’s top recruiters at USC.
I couldn’t stand him when he was at Tennessee. I’m really glad he’s not going to be at FSU.
He didn’t complete the Saban rehab program. He was thrown out.
Of course Lane has changed, anyone can see he gained weight.