Sark's Bama

From Bama to FAU: This is what desperation looks like for Lane Kiffin
Kiffin failed in the NFL and at three of college football's most prominent programs; now he's at FAU, Where ?

by Denis Dode
@denisdoedtbs

This is what desperation looks like for Lane Kiffin.

A head coaching veteran at the tender age of 41, who failed upward until now and is forced to start over in a city that is known only as a retirement community.

Don't get me wrong, Florida Atlantic, is a sun-splashed South Florida town but is the last place you would expect power agent Jimmy Sexton to land a job for Lane Kiffin ... at least coaching football.
Unless, of course, you know Lane Kiffin.

Too many school presidents and athletic directors apparently think they do. Houston and their out spoken regents made it quite clear that Kiffin was never considered after a poor interview, questionable past, and bad win-loss record despite having terrific jobs at college powerhouses. Western Kentucky didn't even offer an interview to football's supposed offensive genius, as we were told over over by the SEC lackeys on CBS.

In a vacuum, Alabama's Nick Saban didn't want Kiffin around and is indifferent if he is even needed in the Tide's playoff run. Saban's comment about selling Kiffin was like ' selling a double bed to the Pope ' was classic Saban and a tell tale sign who much he wanted Kiffin out.

In reality, though, FAU is a professional last chance for Kiffin. Black balled from the NFL due to his laughable Oakland stint and following law suit ( he lost that too ), not wanted by any Power 5 schools. Florida Atlantic is near the bottom rung of FBS. Great weather, fine location but the only guarantee in this coaching job is losing. For a coach used to having four and five star recruits to hide his obvious shaky play calling, times are a changing.

If FAU doesn't win big with Kiffin, everyone will certainly enjoy the heck out of ripping on the coach everyone loves to hate. Kiffin and his buddy, the troubled ex-USC coach Steve Sarkisian, have turned coaching into a sideshow. A sideshow that is now ruining their failing careers. Sarkisian is a $35,000 a year consultant at Alabama and is said to be a candidate for Kiffin's job. But as Dave Drew of TideRoll.com ' has no chance of replacing Kiffin at Bama, Nick Saban doesn't work this way. You don't go from drunk in the gutter to Bama OC , not happening. Besides Saban wasn't exactly thrilled by Kiffin's strange play calling. Those ' ass chewing were for a reason'.

Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News probably went as far as anyone could on Twitter, saying, " Kiffin staying put [at Alabama] for 2017 wasn't going to happen..."
Wait, what? Not only was Kiffin desperate about getting a head coaching job, he wasn't welcome back at Alabama?

Let's just say there were few tears shed in Saban's office when the news came down. One staffer said Kiffin was 'out a long time ago' and everyone knew it. One South Florida source said Kiffin was not 'ever' considered for the job eventually taken by Charlie Strong.
Kiffin's poorus interview at Houston lead to him to lose out to the Cougars' offensive coordinator, Major Applewhite, who will be a rookie head coach. Kiffin wanted the Maryland job last year, he didn't get that either.

Instead, the man who is quick to take credit for superstars Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Derrick Henry .The coach who was handed the keys to the USC offensive machine at age 30 and then Alabama's .... is starting over
Tennessee's one-and-done coach takes over a program that is 26 years younger than him. FAU started playing football under Howard Schnellenberger in 2001.
Read all that backwards and it makes total sense. You start at a place like FAU and end up in the NFL. Kiffin is starting over at FAU because desperation has set in and so has reality.

SPONSORED BY MICROSOFT
Data is transforming the way companies work
See how your data strategy compares to the competition.