The University of Alabama hired Lane Kiffin as its offensive coordinator for football, announcing the news Friday afternoon.
The 38-year-old Kiffin replaces Doug Nussmeier, who took the offensive coordinator job at Michigan after two seasons at Alabama. Kiffin is the fourth offensive coordinator in head coach Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama, and by far the most well-known. Kiffin has previously served as head coach at Southern Cal, Tennessee and with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League.
"We want to thank the University of Alabama and Coach Saban for this tremendous opportunity, and we feel humbled and honored to be a part of the Crimson Tide family," Kiffin said in a statement. "I've always had the utmost respect for what Coach Saban has done with his programs. Having the unique opportunity to be here last month, I was able to meet some of the great players and the great people in the organization, and I'm very excited to start working with them.
"We've seen the passion and support of the Alabama fans firsthand, and when that's combined with the storied history and tradition of the program, this is a very special place to coach."
Reaction to the hire was swift. Kiffin was trending worldwide on Twitter by Friday evening.
Current Crimson Tide offensive players weighed in on the social media site in support of their new coordinator.
"Excited already to see what this next year has in store!" right tackle Austin Shepherd tweeted.
Running back Derrick Henry tweeted "Roll Tide," and quarterback Alec Morris tweeted "Love it!!"
Quarterback Blake Sims posted, "Want to welcome coach Lane to the Tide. Will do very well for us this coming up year."
Saban said in a statement that Kiffin brings a wealth of knowledge, plus exciting ideas, to the Alabama offense.
"We are excited to have Lane join our staff," Saban said. "He is an outstanding and creative offensive coach who has great experience both at the college and NFL level. He has a very good understanding of the game and I have always been impressed with what I saw in the games he called. He coaches with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm, and also does an excellent job as a teacher. Lane will be an outstanding addition to our coaching staff and we look forward to him and his family joining us at the University of Alabama."
Kiffin comes to UA with 17 years of coaching experience. He was head coach at Tennessee for one season in 2009 before heading to Southern Cal a year later, holding that position until he was fired in September 2013 after a 3-2 start, compiling a total collegiate head coaching record of 35-21. He was head coach of the Raiders for 2007 and part of '08 season, going 5-15.
Although his stop in Tennessee lasted only a season, it was perhaps the most memorable and recognizable one of his career for Alabama fans. Kiffin ruffled feathers with his bravado but coached the Volunteers to a 7-6 record, which stands as Tennessee's only winning season since 2007.
Alabama's 2009 national championship team outlasted Kiffin's Volunteers for a 12-10 victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium, with Terrence Cody blocking a field goal as time expired to preserve an undefeated season.
It's easy to see how that performance might have stuck in Saban's mind. No team gained more total yards (339) or passing yards (265) on Alabama during its 2009 national title run than Kiffin's Vols.
Kiffin took over a Tennessee team that ranked No. 116 nationally in total offense (268.8 yards per game) and 94th in yards per play (5.27) the previous season. In Kiffin's lone year at Tennessee, those numbers jumped to 383.6 yards per game (60th nationally) and 5.69 yards per play (53rd).
Kiffin has run a pro-style attack that would seem to fit with Saban's philosophy. While defense was the last straw for his departure from Southern Cal - the 62 points allowed to Arizona State on Sept. 28 before his firing tied a school record previously set by Kiffin's 2012 team - his offense showed promise before slumping in the early going in 2013. USC's offense with Kiffin as a play-caller ranked 38th nationally in yards per play (6.05) in 2012, ninth (6.53) in 2011 and 30th in 2010 (6.03). USC was 40th in scoring in 2012, 16th (35.8 points per game) in 2011 and 37th (30.1) in 2010.
The year before Kiffin arrived as USC's head coach, the Trojans ranked 64th in scoring at 26.5 points per game.
Saban got to know Kiffin a lot better last month, when Saban invited Kiffin to the UA campus to evaluate Alabama's offense.
"Lane is a really good offensive coach, and I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for him," Saban said at the time. "Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit to get some professional ideas with our guys is a really positive thing."
Kiffin inherits an offense that is loaded with experienced skill-position talent except at quarterback, where UA is in need of a replacement with the departure of AJ McCarron. Alabama returns its top three rushers - T.J. Yeldon (1,235 yards), Kenyan Drake (694) and Derrick Henry (382) - along with top receiving targets, including Amari Cooper, Christion Jones and tight end O.J. Howard.
Replacing McCarron will be no easy chore, but there are several options. Blake Sims, last season's backup, and Alec Morris are the only two quarterbacks who saw action in 2013. Other candidates include Luke Del Rio, Cooper Bateman, Parker McLeod and true freshman David Cornwell, who enrolled early and is on campus taking classes. The offensive line will also need to be retooled with the exit of left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio.
Kiffin is known as an excellent recruiter. While Saban was loading up on premium talent in Tuscaloosa, Kiffin was doing the same in Los Angeles. Kiffin was able to bring in highly rated recruiting classes even while dealing with scholarship limitations from a previous staff's NCAA sanctions.
In other coaching news, Kevin Steele, Alabama's director of player personnel, had a change of heart Friday morning, choosing to remain at Alabama rather than accept the defensive coordinator job at Louisville under new coach Bobby Petrino.
http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1596507
The 38-year-old Kiffin replaces Doug Nussmeier, who took the offensive coordinator job at Michigan after two seasons at Alabama. Kiffin is the fourth offensive coordinator in head coach Nick Saban's tenure at Alabama, and by far the most well-known. Kiffin has previously served as head coach at Southern Cal, Tennessee and with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League.
"We want to thank the University of Alabama and Coach Saban for this tremendous opportunity, and we feel humbled and honored to be a part of the Crimson Tide family," Kiffin said in a statement. "I've always had the utmost respect for what Coach Saban has done with his programs. Having the unique opportunity to be here last month, I was able to meet some of the great players and the great people in the organization, and I'm very excited to start working with them.
"We've seen the passion and support of the Alabama fans firsthand, and when that's combined with the storied history and tradition of the program, this is a very special place to coach."
Reaction to the hire was swift. Kiffin was trending worldwide on Twitter by Friday evening.
Current Crimson Tide offensive players weighed in on the social media site in support of their new coordinator.
"Excited already to see what this next year has in store!" right tackle Austin Shepherd tweeted.
Running back Derrick Henry tweeted "Roll Tide," and quarterback Alec Morris tweeted "Love it!!"
Quarterback Blake Sims posted, "Want to welcome coach Lane to the Tide. Will do very well for us this coming up year."
Saban said in a statement that Kiffin brings a wealth of knowledge, plus exciting ideas, to the Alabama offense.
"We are excited to have Lane join our staff," Saban said. "He is an outstanding and creative offensive coach who has great experience both at the college and NFL level. He has a very good understanding of the game and I have always been impressed with what I saw in the games he called. He coaches with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm, and also does an excellent job as a teacher. Lane will be an outstanding addition to our coaching staff and we look forward to him and his family joining us at the University of Alabama."
Kiffin comes to UA with 17 years of coaching experience. He was head coach at Tennessee for one season in 2009 before heading to Southern Cal a year later, holding that position until he was fired in September 2013 after a 3-2 start, compiling a total collegiate head coaching record of 35-21. He was head coach of the Raiders for 2007 and part of '08 season, going 5-15.
Although his stop in Tennessee lasted only a season, it was perhaps the most memorable and recognizable one of his career for Alabama fans. Kiffin ruffled feathers with his bravado but coached the Volunteers to a 7-6 record, which stands as Tennessee's only winning season since 2007.
Alabama's 2009 national championship team outlasted Kiffin's Volunteers for a 12-10 victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium, with Terrence Cody blocking a field goal as time expired to preserve an undefeated season.
It's easy to see how that performance might have stuck in Saban's mind. No team gained more total yards (339) or passing yards (265) on Alabama during its 2009 national title run than Kiffin's Vols.
Kiffin took over a Tennessee team that ranked No. 116 nationally in total offense (268.8 yards per game) and 94th in yards per play (5.27) the previous season. In Kiffin's lone year at Tennessee, those numbers jumped to 383.6 yards per game (60th nationally) and 5.69 yards per play (53rd).
Kiffin has run a pro-style attack that would seem to fit with Saban's philosophy. While defense was the last straw for his departure from Southern Cal - the 62 points allowed to Arizona State on Sept. 28 before his firing tied a school record previously set by Kiffin's 2012 team - his offense showed promise before slumping in the early going in 2013. USC's offense with Kiffin as a play-caller ranked 38th nationally in yards per play (6.05) in 2012, ninth (6.53) in 2011 and 30th in 2010 (6.03). USC was 40th in scoring in 2012, 16th (35.8 points per game) in 2011 and 37th (30.1) in 2010.
The year before Kiffin arrived as USC's head coach, the Trojans ranked 64th in scoring at 26.5 points per game.
Saban got to know Kiffin a lot better last month, when Saban invited Kiffin to the UA campus to evaluate Alabama's offense.
"Lane is a really good offensive coach, and I've always had a tremendous amount of respect for him," Saban said at the time. "Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit to get some professional ideas with our guys is a really positive thing."
Kiffin inherits an offense that is loaded with experienced skill-position talent except at quarterback, where UA is in need of a replacement with the departure of AJ McCarron. Alabama returns its top three rushers - T.J. Yeldon (1,235 yards), Kenyan Drake (694) and Derrick Henry (382) - along with top receiving targets, including Amari Cooper, Christion Jones and tight end O.J. Howard.
Replacing McCarron will be no easy chore, but there are several options. Blake Sims, last season's backup, and Alec Morris are the only two quarterbacks who saw action in 2013. Other candidates include Luke Del Rio, Cooper Bateman, Parker McLeod and true freshman David Cornwell, who enrolled early and is on campus taking classes. The offensive line will also need to be retooled with the exit of left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio.
Kiffin is known as an excellent recruiter. While Saban was loading up on premium talent in Tuscaloosa, Kiffin was doing the same in Los Angeles. Kiffin was able to bring in highly rated recruiting classes even while dealing with scholarship limitations from a previous staff's NCAA sanctions.
In other coaching news, Kevin Steele, Alabama's director of player personnel, had a change of heart Friday morning, choosing to remain at Alabama rather than accept the defensive coordinator job at Louisville under new coach Bobby Petrino.
http://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1596507
