Lane Kiffin was never as close to the Houston job as it was reported he was.
Tilman Fertitta, the chair of Houston’s board of regents, told KILT-AM in Houston on Friday that Kiffin was never that close to getting the job, and the school ultimately saw him as too much of a risk.
“Lane Kiffin did not show me anything that Major Applewhite did not show me,” Fertitta told the “Gallant at Night” show, via Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN. “Sure, he’s been a head coach and he’s been an OK head coach. But I can tell you this: [Kiffin] was not a safe hire.”
Fertitta blamed Kiffin’s agents for the stories that said the Alabama offensive coordinator was closing in on the job.
“Never,” Fertitta said when asked if Kiffin was ever close to being offered the job. “He was no closer than anybody else. Those are all put out by his agents, because that’s the way they play the game.”
That is ultimately the problem Kiffin will face. No matter how much he has improved his reputation at Alabama, his resume still shows two collegiate coaching jobs that did not end great for him. He may have to settle for a much smaller school such as this one if he wants to reestablish himself as a head coach.
