Well that happened quickly. A day after reports surfaced that former USC head coach Lane Kiffin was interviewing for the offensive coordinator vacancy at Alabama, it looks as though Kiffin has won the job.
ESPN.com is reporting Kiffin will join Nick Saban’s staff to fill the role of offensive coordinator left vacant by Doug Nussmeier this week. Nussmeier was hired by Michigan this week to fill the same role for the wolverines.
Kiffin was fired as head coach if USC in late September, but it was likely he would not stay out of the coaching game for too long. After multiple failed attempts as a head coach (USC was hit with sanctions to coach through but struggled to meet expectations under Kiffin), a scaled back job probably is a good situation for Kiffin. Kiffin is not a star offensive coordinator, but he is a good addition to the Alabama coaching staff if he coaches to his capabilities under Saban. There should also be a good chance to stabilize what has been a bit of a polarizing career for Kiffin. At Alabama, all eyes are on Saban first, so as long as Alabama’s offense does not take giant steps back under Kiffin despite breaking in a new starting quarterback in 2014, Kiffin will have a chance to coach without as much pressure as he has faced in previous years.
“Lane is a really good offensive coach, and I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for him,” Saban said in a report by ESPN.com. “Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit to get some professional ideas with our guys is a really positive thing.”