Lane Kiffin is house hunting in Boca Raton, Florida, but he had time to discuss the ups and downs throughout his coaching career with Sports Illustrated.
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In the lengthy chat, he discussed how working with Nick Saban at Alabama humbled him:
"The football gods put me with Saban to see someone that never changes no matter what the outcome of the game is."
He also talked about the differences between Saban and former USC coach Pete Carroll:
Kiffin says Saban runs the program like he's the father of the 85 players, whereas his old boss at USC, Pete Carroll, acted more like an uncle. "Being with both was extremely valuable," Kiffin says. "I needed Nick Saban more than I needed Pete Carroll."
As for his current situation, Kiffin took a pay cut from $1.4 million at Alabama to $950k at FAU. He admitted during the interview that he could have made $2 million next year as a coordinator, falling in line with the reports that LSU was ready to make him one of the highest paid coordinators in the country.
He admitted that he discussed the job with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, but also pushed back against the notion that he couldn't have returned to Alabama:
"I believe, and you can ask him, coach was in a great place with me coming back."
Now, Kiffin is in a different state of mind. He detailed in the interview that 10 years ago, he may have taken the FAU gig as a stepping stone. He made it clear now that he plans to stay "a while," as he's looking to buy a home rather than rent.
He's no doubt working to rebuild his image after failed stints with the Oakland Raiders, a quick departure from Tennessee and then getting fired at USC. Whether Kiffin does stick at FAU remains to be seen.
