By Cole SullivanShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberLane Kiffin has been at the center of the college football world over the past several days as fans eagerly awaited news about his coaching future.
Ultimately, Kiffin made the decision to leave Ole Miss, despite wanting to guide the Rebels through their anticipated College Football Playoff run. He accepted a seven-year, $91 million deal to become the next head coach of the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge.
After being introduced by LSU on Monday, college football icon and former LSU coach Nick Saban shared his thoughts on the Tigers’ decision to hire Kiffin.
"Lane Kiffin played a significant role in helping us win a national championship at Alabama, and I’ve always said he’s one of the brightest offensive minds and one of the best play-callers I’ve ever been around," Saban said. "He brought creativity, energy, and a real competitive spirit to everything he did. Lane has done a fantastic job wherever he’s been a head coach, particularly with the success he built at Ole Miss and the turnaround he led at Florida Atlantic. I have no doubt he’ll be a great fit at LSU, and I’m confident he’ll continue to elevate the tradition and meet the expectations of that program at a high level."
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Saban spent five seasons at LSU, winning one national championship, before briefly departing for the NFL and later returning to the college ranks as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he led the program to a record six national titles.
Kiffin happened to coach under Saban for three seasons in Tuscaloosa before eventually taking the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic and later at Ole Miss, where he spent the past six years.
More news: 5-Star Commit Spurns Georgia, Kirby Smart for SEC Rival
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