Nick Saban: Lane Kiffin focused on Alabama despite rumors
Nick Saban addressed the rumors surrounding Lane Kiffin by saying that all of his coaches are focused on their positions at Alabama.
Kiffin has been linked to the LSU offensive coordinator position, the Oregon head coaching job, and now the Houston head coaching job. But Saban says Kiffin is currently focused on helping Bama’s offense prepare for the SEC Championship Game on Saturday.
“I want our players to be in the best position to be able to play well in this particular game, and I think all our coaches are very much committed to that as well regardless of what you read on the blogs or hear or whatever,” Saban said during his weekly radio show Thursday night, via AL.com. “I don’t know about any of that stuff, so I’m not really bothered by it.”
Kiffin is in his third season as Bama’s offensive coordinator. It’s somewhat surprising that he has remained in his current position as long as he has given how big of a name he is. Just 41, Kiffin was the youngest head coach in modern NFL history when he took over the Raiders job in 2007. After he was dismissed by the Raiders, he took the Tennessee job but left after one year to take over at USC. He was fired by the Trojans in the middle of the 2013 season.
Kiffin has rebuilt his name thanks to his work at Alabama, and he’s now viewed as a more viable head coaching candidate than he was when USC let him go. How long he continues with the Crimson Tide remains to be seen.
