Lane Kiffin got some of the best advice he could have possibly hoped for regarding the head coaching saga after talking to Pete Carroll
Lane Kiffin ended up going with his gut, and left Ole Miss for LSU.
The Ole Miss Rebels and Lane Kiffin are moving on from one another, as Kiffin spent the last six seasons in Oxford. Now, Kiffin is moving on to the LSU Tigers, where he hopes to build a new legacy in a new city and continue winning. On his way to LSU, he finally spoke out about it all, but most importantly, about the people who really influenced his decision.
“This was a very challenging, difficult day. We went through a lot with Keith Carrter (Ole Miss AD). I respect his decision. I understand that decision. I hope they play really well and go win the championship,” Kiffin told Marty Smith of ESPN.
“I hope when they (feelings) settle down, there is an appreciation of what we have been able to do here. I prayed a lot, made a family decision, and hopefully have a chance to impact some new people. My heart was here. I talked to some mentors, coach Carroll, coach Saban, and coach Carroll told me, ‘Your dad would tell you to go – take the shot.’”
Lane Kiffin has a stellar relationship with Pete Carroll, the current Las Vegas Raiders head coach, former Seattle Seahawks head coach, and former USC Trojans head coach. And of course, by now we all know his relationship with former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban. Those two men, as he has said, are father figures in his life, but only one of them was actually close to his father.
Lane Kiffin’s relationship with Carroll
Kiffin’s ties to well-known, successful coaches have been a consistent topic in discussions of his legacy as a coach so far. He’s the son of Monte Kiffin, a former Super Bowl and two-time College Football national champion. Kiffin also maintains strong relationships with coaches like Carroll, Nick Saban, and Steve Sarkisian, stemming from his history as an assistant in CFB.
Directly, he was the tight ends coach for Carroll at USC. There’s no doubt his connection to these sorts of coaches played a role in his bold decision to take this new job. His vast experience alongside some of the most accomplished head coaches in college football has bolstered his resumé and helped him land this sort of job at LSU. It will be intriguing to see if he can live up to the billing and contract he’ll get with the Tigers. – Adam Holt, A to Z Sports
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