🏈 Kiffin To Return In 2015

[UAgrad93]

This is the statement released by OC Lane Kiffin today.

 

[BAMANEWSBOT]

University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced Saturday that offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would remain in his current position with the Crimson Tide. Kiffin was a finalist for the Broyles Award last season, which is given annually to the top assistant coach in college football.

Alabama set a school record in 2014 for total offense while quarterback Blake Sims and wide receiver Amari Cooper both set records for passing yards and receiving yards. The Crimson Tide ranked in the top 20 nationally in both scoring offense and total offense last year.

Quote from Head Coach Nick Saban

"We've very pleased and happy that Lane is going to be staying here at the University of Alabama with us. He's done a fabulous job and is one of the finest offensive coaches in the country. He is going to have plenty of opportunities in the future and we want to continue to help him develop as a coach so when he leaves here, he'll be in a very good situation. Our offense was extremely productive last season and we look forward to building on some of the good things we did on that side of the ball with this year's team."

Quote from Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin

"I made a comment at the Sugar Bowl that I would be back this fall at Alabama and that is definitely the plan. This time of year, there are lots of things out there regarding other coaching opportunities, but I want to reaffirm my commitment to the University of Alabama, Coach Saban, and our team. I'm excited about what our offensive staff was able to accomplish last year, but I also think there are a lot of things we can do a better job of in terms of putting our players in the best situation to have success.

"After being here for a year, I can see why this is such a special place in terms of the history, tradition, and how much football means to everyone at Alabama. I also have learned so much in the time I've spent with Coach Saban and really have a better understanding of what makes him the great coach that he is. I think the more time I can spend learning from him, the better coach I will be in the future."

From Rolltide.com—Continue reading...

 

[bcracker]

Roll Tide!

 

[SnakeFan]

Roll Tide!

Roll Tide Indeed!

 

[TerryP]

We've very pleased and happy that Lane is going to be staying here at the University of Alabama with us.

:smh:

 

[ElephantStomp]

Roll Tide! Glad to have Coach Kiffin back

 

[Bamabww]

Roll Tide. Now if the Falcons will leave Kirby alone......

Cecil Hurt þ@CecilHurt8m8 minutes ago
"The fact that Alabama put out a release with Saban/Kiffin quotes at this point means it was becoming a recruiting issue."

 

[alabama mike]

Amen!

 

[Bamabww]

January 24, 2015

Why once just wasn't enough for Lane Kiffin and Alabama

Aaron Suttles
TideSports.com Senior Writer

Once just wasn't enough.

Not for fans, who learned to love the man they once disliked with such fervor. Not for offensive skill position players, who benefit under an almost unparalleled offensive mind. Not for the Nick Saban, who saw his program set offensive records.

And once just wasn't enough for Lane Kiffin, who put a week's worth of rumors to bed Saturday afternoon by dedicating at least one more season to the University of Alabama as offensive coordinator.

Lane Kiffin is scheduled to make $680,000 in 2015.
Kiffin agreed to a three-year contract last January but various media reports within the past week had the 39-year-old coach as the "frontrunner" for the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator job.

With his announcement that he'll return for 2015, Kiffin and Saban can turn their full attention to closing the recruiting season out strong before figuring out a way to replace a starting quarterback (Blake Sims), who authored the best single-season passing year in school history, a wide receiver (Amari Cooper) that set nearly every receiving record in program history and one of the best running backs (T.J. Yeldon) in school history.

"After being here for a year, I can see why this is such a special place in terms of the history, tradition, and how much football means to everyone at Alabama," Kiffin said in a university-released statement. I also have learned so much in the time I've spent with Coach Saban and really have a better understanding of what makes him the great coach that he is. I think the more time I can spend learning from him, the better coach I will be in the future."

Kiffin turned Sims, an afterthought quarterback at the beginning of the season, into a strength of the Crimson Tide offense, and rode Cooper to a historic season.

No one pegged Sims as the starting quarterback coming out of spring practice, but Kiffin helped mold him into one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. Sims threw for 3,487 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 65 percent of his passes.

Cooper finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in a season in which he set a conference record for receptions in a single season with 124. Cooper finished with 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns receptions.

Alabama's offense in 2014 was record setting, producing 6.783 total yards, the top mark in the program's long, storied history.

At a press conference prior to the Sugar Bowl, Kiffin, in just his second meeting with reporters while at UA, stated his desire to return under Saban. That plan was muddled in the last week with various opportunities becoming available during the coaching silly season.

"This time of year, there are lots of things out there regarding other coaching opportunities, but I want to reaffirm my commitment to the University of Alabama, Coach Saban, and our team," Kiffin said. "I'm excited about what our offensive staff was able to accomplish last year, but I also think there are a lot of things we can do a better job of in terms of putting our players in the best situation to have success."

The news had to be received as positive as a five-star pledge to Saban, who lost two defensive assistant coaches (Kevin Steele and Lance Thompson) earlier this month. Coaching turnover is nothing new for Saban, who replaced three assistants in 2014, but losing a high-profile offensive coordinator a week and a half before national signing day wasn't appetizing.

"We've very pleased and happy that Lane is going to be staying here at the University of Alabama with us," Saban said. "He's done a fabulous job and is one of the finest offensive coaches in the country.

"He is going to have plenty of opportunities in the future and we want to continue to help him develop as a coach so when he leaves here, he'll be in a very good situation. Our offense was extremely productive last season and we look forward to building on some of the good things we did on that side of the ball with this year's team."

- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1728941#sthash.qjFODuS3.dpuf

 

[TerryP]

Another morning musing, if you will...here's my take on this.

IF Lane would have left I wouldn't have been greatly concerned about his replacement. That said...

It's no surprise to me the 49'ers had him as one of the guys they were looking at for their offensive coordinator. While I don't follow the NFL closely, at all, it hasn't escaped me that Colin Kaepernick needs development. Based on what the Niners saw with Sims in the 2014 season, Lane's ability to work with, and develop quarterbacks, isn't questionable.

From a fans perspective, this should pay dividends for the next few years. If we assume that Coker is "the guy" next season it'll give CLK the opportunity to get two guys ready for SEC play. It will also mean he'll be spending another year with guys like Barnett—just to name one. Bama fans should look at this as a big positive in terms of development, not only for 2015 but for 2016 and '17.