There are a lot of mixed feelings on LSU head coach Lane Kiffin.

LSU fans obviously love Kiffin. He’s their guy. And he’s already created a ton of buzz around the program after a couple of down years (by LSU’s standards) under Brian Kelly.

Outside of Baton Rouge, he’s easily the biggest villain in college football right now.

But regardless of how you feel about Kiffin, there’s no denying that he’s a great coach. Kiffin’s teams win. They play hard and they play with an edge. And that’s because of Kiffin’s demeanor — at least that’s what one former Alabama assistant coach thinks.

Former Alabama coach nails what makes Lane Kiffin so great as a coach

A former Alabama assistant spoke to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman for a recent story on Kiffin and he nailed what makes Kiffin such a great coach.

“I think Lane’s got that carefree swagger, where the teams play loose,” said the former Alabama assistant. “It really showed up at Ole Miss when he first got there. But whether it’s bringing out celebrities or having the basketball goal on the sideline, it’s just, let’s be loose and free, and he has that aggressive side to get them going.”

Kiffin is a savant when it comes to Xs and Os. He understands the game at a high level, and he’s a master at creating mismatches.

But he’s far from the only coach in college football who understands Xs and Os at a high level.

What separates Kiffin is the way he’s able to get the most out of his players on game days. Kiffin’s players have always played free and with confidence — and that’s the true secret to winning football games. If a team isn’t playing loose and with confidence, they probably aren’t executing in big moments.

Love him or hate him, Kiffin just has that it factor. And it extends to his players.