Where will Lane Kiffin coach next season?
The future of the most-polarizing assistant coach in college football remains very much up in the air as Alabama heads into the College Football Playoff.
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Kiffin, 41, certain gets a lot of attention based on his past head-coaching stops with Oakland in the NFL, and Tennessee and USC in the FBS. Kiffin had a 35-21 record between the stops with the Volunteers and Trojans, both of which ended unceremoniously.
Kiffin, however, reinvented his career as an offensive coordinator at Alabama the past three seasons. That’s opened some doors for his coaching future.
The only question is where the future leads after this season. Here are five possible scenarios:
Stay at Bama
Why it works: In what universe is it going to hurt Kiffin to stay on another season as offensive coordinator for the top program in the nation? Kiffin has developed two Heisman-caliber players in Amari Cooper and Derrick Henry and has another one on the way in quarterback Jalen Hurts. If Kiffin stayed until Nick Saban retired, then would he be a logical candidate to take the job?
Why it doesn’t: Unless, of course, Alabama loses in the College Football Playoff, and the blame somehow falls on Kiffin. That happened after the loss to Ohio State in 2014. The relationship between Saban and Kiffin has worked out so far. How long can it last?
Go to LSU as OC
Why it works: Kiffin is reunited with Ed Orgeron, and he would have the chance to renovate LSU’s offense and develop a quarterback. If he can do that successfully, then he’d be a hit in Baton Rouge. Plus, the implications of leaving Alabama for LSU would be off the charts for that SEC West rivalry.
Why it doesn’t: Would Kiffin changing places turn the tide in this rivalry on its own? No. This would be a high-risk for Kiffin given the obligatory social media firestorm it would create.
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Go to Houston, USF or Cincinnati
Why it works: Kiffin gets that head coaching job and has the chance to show what he’s learned at Alabama on a stage that isn’t Tennessee or USC. The American Athletic Conference has been good, and Kiffin would add to that. Houston is particularly intriguing here.
Why it doesn’t: Kiffin likely wouldn’t be there long. If he won big, then he’d probably follow the same path Tom Herman, Willie Taggart and Matt Rhule took to Power 5 jobs this season.
Go back to the NFL
Why it works: Kiffin’s work as an offensive coordinator could attract the attention of an NFL team. He could follow a path similar to Dirk Koetter, who left Arizona State in 2006 and became a renowned OC before taking the job with Tampa Bay. That’s working out this season.
Why it doesn’t: It would probably have to be coordinator. Kiffin went 5-15 as the Oakland Raiders’ head coach and his relationship with the late Al Davis was not good during that season-and-change.
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Wait for the big job
Why it works: This ties into staying at Alabama, but Kiffin could wait one more year for another Power 5 job to pop open. We mentioned the benefits of waiting, but if the right big-time program came calling, then perhaps Kiffin would jump at the chance.
Why it doesn’t: Tennessee and USC will always be part of that conversation. Kiffin is a high-risk, unknown-reward proposition as a head coach. Could you imagine some of the high-profile possibilities down the line? Notre Dame? UCLA? Anywhere else in the SEC? All of those options would be fun.
