Lane Kiffin has never been afraid to make a splash, and his pick for offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic certainly qualifies.
Kendal Briles will join the Owls in the same position he has held at Baylor, Kiffin told SI.com on Friday.
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The move comes days after the NCAA wrapped up a recruiting violations case involving Briles and another Baylor assistant that led to the pair being suspended for a game during the 2015 season.
"We were very deliberate in our decision to bring Kendal to FAU. … (We) completed our due diligence," Kiffin told SI.com.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on Twitter that Briles will be granted "full control" of the FAU offense, including play-calling duties.
Lane Kiffin has hired Kendal Briles as his OC-Giving him full control of the off.-including play calling-allowing Lane to be more of a CEO
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 24, 2016
Briles, 34, is the son of former Baylor coach Art Briles, who was fired in May amid a sexual assault scandal at the school. Kendal remained on interim coach Jim Grobe's staff this fall, but was not expected to continue with new coach Matt Rhule heading into 2017.
Kendal Briles and Baylor receivers coach Tate Wallis were each suspended a game and banned from making off-campus recruiting trips after they were found to have made impermissible contact with recruits in the spring of 2015. The NCAA earlier this week accepted those self-imposed penalties by Baylor, adding only a $5,000 fine for the school to conclude the matter.
