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Lane Kiffin Coaching History & Bio
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| Lane Kiffin Teams Coached | Years Coached | Lane Kiffin Coaching Record |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 2009 | 7-6 (4-4 SEC) |
| USC | 2010-2013 | 28-15 |
| FAU | 2017-2019 | 27-13 |
| Ole Miss | 2020-Present | 44-18 (25-16 SEC) |
- 1997-98: Fresno State — Assistant
- 1999: Colorado State — Graduate assistant
- 2000: Jacksonville Jaguars — Defensive quality control
- 2001: USC — Tight ends coach
- 2002-03: USC — Wide receivers coach
- 2004: USC — Wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator
- 2005-o6: USC — Offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach
- 2007-08: Oakland Raiders (NFL) — Head coach
- 2009: Tennessee — Head coach
- 2010-13: USC — Head coach
- 2014-16: Alabama — Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
- 2017-19: Florida Atlantic — Head coach
- 2020-present: Ole Miss — Head coach
Lane Kiffin Coaching History
Lane Kiffin has never been afraid to do a couple of things — go for it on fourth down and tease other coaches on Twitter. In fact, Kiffin is one of the best Twitter accounts to follow in the entire sports world.
But he’s not just a great social media presence and aggressive play-caller. He’s also turned into a heck of a coach in every aspect of the game.
Though he gets categorized as a pass-happy offensive mind, his offenses consistently finish at the top or near the top of the conference in rushing yards per game. In 2022 at Ole Miss, Kiffin’s Rebels averaged 256.5 yards per game on the ground to lead the SEC. Second-place Arkansas averaged 236.5 rushing yards per contest.
Kiffin, the former Fresno State quarterback, teamed up with Nick Saban at Alabama in January of 2014 in hopes of bringing a faster tempo to the Crimson Tide’s offense. It’s safe to say he did just that, calling plays for Alabama’s 2015 national championship squad.
Kiffin spent 6 seasons on Pete Carroll’s staff at Southern California before becoming a first-year head coach in 2007 with the Oakland Raiders — the NFL’s youngest head coach in the modern era (31).
When Kiffin’s NFL coaching career soon fizzled, he inherited Phillip Fulmer’s mess in Knoxville as Tennessee’s head coach in 2008 and paced the Vols to a second-place finish in the SEC East. That’s when USC came calling about its head coach opening following Carroll’s departure to the Seattle Seahawks. In 3 seasons, Kiffin’s Trojans won 25 games, but it wasn’t enough to appease athletic director Pat Haden after a 7-6 finish in 2012. Early in the 2013 season, Kiffin was famously (or infamously, from his point of view) fired on the tarmac. He then made the move to Alabama as the offensive coordinator.
Now a successful head coach at Ole Miss (after a 3-year stop at Florida Atlantic), Kiffin is one of the most famous examples of Nick Saban’s head coaching image rehab program. Notable “alums” since Kiffin have included Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, Butch Jones and Mario Cristobal, among others.
The 2021 season was a special one for Kiffin at Ole Miss. That year, the Rebels finished the regular season with 10 wins for the first time in school history. QB Matt Corral led Ole Miss’s dynamic offense to the Sugar Bowl, where the Rebels fell to Baylor after Corral suffered an injury early in the first quarter.
Kiffin has become a master of the NCAA transfer portal in recent years, completely rebuilding the Ole Miss roster on an annual basis. Will that lead to more success on the field? We’ll see in the coming years.
FAQ About Lane Kiffin
What is Lane Kiffin's Salary?
Kiffin’s contract provides for $9 million per year on compensation through the 2029 season.
What is the length of Lane Kiffin's contract?
Mississippi law prohibits contracts for state employees to exceed 4 years in length, so Kiffin is technically under contract only through the 2029 season. But because of a loophole in the law that allows automatic annual extensions, Kiffin’s contract provides for an automatic 1-year rollover if he wins 7 or more regular-season games. Even if he doesn’t win 7 games, both Kiffin and the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation have the option to extend the deal anyway, Which means that he could conceivably be under a 4-year deal in perpetuity.
What is Lane Kiffin's buyout?
If Kiffin is fired or decides to leave on his own before his contract rolls over the buyout on Dec. 31 would be $36.59 million. If the separation takes place after the rollover, it would elevate to nearly $44 million.
Was Lane Kiffin fired on an airport tarmac?
Yes and no. Kiffin was relieved of his duties by Southern Cal athletic director Pat Hayden at the airport when the Trojans returned home from a 62-40 embarrassment at Arizona State on Sept. 28, 2013. And he was left behind when the team bus returned to campus, with his luggage still on it. But the firing didn’t actually happen on the tarmac. Kiffin was taken to a room in the terminal, where the bad news was delivered.
How long has Lane Kiffin been sober?
Kiffin speaks openly about his struggles with alcohol and his successful battle to overcome addiction. He uses his experience to encourage others to confront the emotional and psychological issues that trigger addiction while encouraging them to seek help and find a support system to aid their recovery.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
