BOCA RATON – New FAU football coach Lane Kiffin believes the Owls are about to go on a “special run.”
FAU introduced Kiffin on Tuesday as the programs fifth head coach, doing so in front of a mixture of university staff, players, donors, high school coaches and media.
Kiffin, the current Alabama offensive coordinator, will still coach the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide throughout the playoffs, sending a message to coach Nick Saban through the live internet strea, of the press conference that he will be back in Tuscaloosa for the morning meeting.
The deal Kiffin signed on Monday is for five years, with the first year paying a little less than $1 million in base salary.
He characterized FAU as more of a destination than a stepping stone.
Kiffin, 41, fits perfectly into FAU’s search parameters – he’s an offensive-minded guy with head coaching experience. Last season, his second with the Crimson Tide, the offense Kiffin built and called propelled Alabama to the national title.
This year Alabama is the top seed in the College Football playoffs.
Kiffin’s head-coaching experience cane at Tennessee, Southern Cal and with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
None of those three stops ended particularly well. He bolted that Tennessee job after only one season – a move Tennessee fans still haven’t forgiven. During that season the recruiting aggressiveness of Kiffin and his staff drew the attention of NCAA regulators.
USC fired Kiffin in the middle of his fourth season after the Trojans dropped seven of their last 11 games. That firing occurred at the airport once Kiffin’s Trojans landed in California following a 62-41 loss to Arizona St. that dropped USC to 3-2.
Al Davis fired Kiffin midway through his second season, telling both the coach and the media that Kiffin was tearing the organization apart.
Along with being a brilliant offensive mind and a masterful recruiter, Kiffin is also known for his near-Trumpian use of Twitter along with some peculiar decisions – like having USC players trade uniform numbers to confuse that week’s opponent, Colorado.
Son of defensive guru Monte Kiffin, Lane played quarterback at Fresno St. Prior to becoming the NFL’s youngest head coach in the modern era in Oakland at the age of 31, Kiffin served as USC’s offensive coordinator – a promotion that followed stints as the Trojans’ wide receivers coach and tight ends coach.
Kiffin started his coaching career as an assistant at Fresno St. He’s also been the offensive line coach at Colorado St. and the quality control coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Keep checking OwlAccess.com for further updates.
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