NEW ORLEANS | According to Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, college football’s odd couple may not be as unlikely a fit as some think.
“I think that assumption about us being so different is very fair but I don’t think it’s really accurate,” Kiffin said of head coach Nick Saban on Monday. “We may not have the same personality but we do have a lot of the same beliefs when it comes to coaching…Watching coach Saban’s teams and programs over the years is unbelievable and I do totally believe in some of the exact same things that he’s always been about: toughness, discipline, running the ball even though people assume we throw the ball wherever we’ve been, play good defense, be physical, not have penalties and be disciplined. We just have different personalities but a lot of the same beliefs.”
Kiffin arrived at Alabama after an ignominious end to a three-year stint as head coach at Southern California, climaxing in his infamous firing at the Los Angeles International airport after an embarrassing loss to Arizona State. After he was fired as head coach of the Trojans, Kiffin’s job offers were scarce, though he did spend some time in Tuscaloosa analyzing the Crimson Tide’s offense ahead of its matchup against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl last December.
“It reminds you of what the game gives you and the excitement that the game gives you of the player development,” Kiffin said of his time away from football. “Not just in games when they make the plays but in practice when they make the plays or you get to see a guy like Amari Cooper who has worked as hard as anybody in the country at his game, is so humble, worked so hard and then to put the system in, featuring him like we’ve done with wide receivers over the years and to see him, even though he’s so team-oriented, to be awarded with all the accolades and awards and records that will be there forever, or until somebody breaks them. That was missed.”
In January, after former Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier left for Michigan, Saban offered Kiffin the job. Kiffin said Saban took a chance on him, considering Kiffin’s history as a controversial figure, despite a reputation as an offensive mastermind. The opportunity to be an assistant to and learn from one of the most accomplished coaches in college football history has been so valuable to Kiffin that he said he should be the one paying Saban.
“I think the number one thing after seeing Coach is the other stuff,” Kiffin said. “I was so focused on the game, the players, especially the offensive players as the head coach. Gameplan all week, spring ball, recruiting. To delegate like Coach does, be in charge of everything like he’s the CEO but delegate enough so he does everything else. A surprise to people that would come into the program is to see coach Saban, off the field, what he does besides just the football.”
According to Kiffin, Saban’s skill as a head coach extends far beyond his on-field tactics.
“It was Thursday before a game or Friday before a game and he’s got 9 million things on his schedule and he’s meeting with a women’s tennis recruit or something like that just to help the University, or going over to speak at different places,” Kiffin said. “He manages all the stuff outside so well and then also does the stuff inside where I spent so much time focused inside that was a big part of the failure of not doing the other stuff.”
Kiffin’s one-year stint at Alabama has yielded the most productive offense in school history, racking up 490 yards per game, a school record. The installation of Kiffin’s hybrid, fast-paced offense has rivaled the 1971 introduction of the wishbone offense in terms of production, if not innovation.
Kiffin’s success at Alabama and history in the NFL, including a two-season stint as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, has led to speculation that he would be looking to return to professional football as early as this offseason, but Kiffin said he expects to return to Alabama next season.
“Yes, yeah,” he said. “Definitely.”
