Ole Miss isn’t the first place where things have ended poorly for Kiffin. It’s become his calling card. A failed stint as Oakland Raiders head coach ended with late owner Al Davis, who died in 2011, ripping the then-33-year-old, labeling him a con man and liar.
In 2010, Kiffin infamously left Tennessee after one season for USC, only to be fired on the tarmac in his fourth season with the Trojans after a 3-2 start. While offensive coordinator at Alabama, head coach Nick Saban wouldn’t allow him to coach in the CFP after he accepted a role as Florida Atlantic head coach. As ESPN’s Mark Schlabach wrote at the time, “Kiffin is about the only coach who could be fired from a job that he’d already quit.”
His habit of bad breakups makes for a highly combustible situation at LSU. Kiffin can’t help but cause a scene when exiting, and Tigers coaches rarely leave on good terms.
Saban, who won a national championship with the program in 2003 (its first since 1958), was the most vilified man in Baton Rouge for over a decade after leaving and later becoming head coach at Alabama following a failed NFL stint.
Les Miles succeeded Saban and won an NCAA title in 2007, but was fired in-season after a 2-2 start to 2016. He also has a pending lawsuit with the school after it vacated wins under his watch, disqualifying him from Hall of Fame eligibility.
Ed Orgeron was dismissed two years after winning a national championship, while lawyers got involved in Brian Kelly’s most recent firing before cooler heads prevailed and LSU agreed to fire him “without cause,” giving him his full $54 million buyout.
It’s exciting to think about the potential of a Kiffin-led offense with the kind of talent LSU attracts. All one needs is to look back at 2019 and see what the Tigers are capable of at their best. LSU must find a quarterback in the transfer portal to be an instant contender under Kiffin, but it just became much more attractive after landing the hottest coach on the market.
Yet, for as many fireworks as the partnership will likely produce, concern remains. When the Tigers lose a head coach — and when Kiffin leaves a place — things get messy. If you thought the courtship was wild, just wait for the inevitable divorce.
