Former LSU coach Brian Kelly offered something of a backhanded compliment to his successor, Lane Kiffin.
Kelly spoke about Kiffin in a new interview and certainly did not sound too enamored with the man who succeeded him as LSU coach. Kelly admitted he does not know Kiffin well, but that Kiffin largely operates by his own rules and always has.
“The only time I talked to Lane is when he tried to buy my house,” Kelly told John Brice of USA Today. “Lane operates in his lane, and that’s who he is. It’s who I’ve always known. Lane operates in the way he wants to do things. From that perspective, at least you know what you’re getting.”
Kelly certainly does not sound like he is endorsing the way Kiffin does things. The new LSU coach is known for pushing the boundaries and sparking controversy. He is at the center of it again before even coaching his first game for the team, as evidenced by his unapologetic pursuit of a controversial set of NFL players seeking to return to college.
On the other hand, Kelly was criticized for perceived phoniness during his own tenure at LSU. Kiffin’s more straightforward and arguably shameless approach might be precisely what LSU and their fans were after when hiring a new head coach.
