Time is ticking for Lane Kiffin.
Following their win over Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Friday afternoon, the Rebels are 11–1, scoring the third-most points per game in the SEC (37.2), gaining the second-most yards in all of college football (498.1), and are on pace for their first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Kiffin’s success in Oxford has made him among the top coaching candidates in this year’s cycle, and as such, Ole Miss has seemed to have given the 50-year-old an ultimatum: decide on your future this weekend, the postseason begins.
While he's since denied being given an ultimatum by the Rebels, the school announced that Kiffin will make a decision this weekend as he mulls leaving Ole Miss for SEC rival LSU.
So how did we get here? For those unfamiliar, Kiffin is the son of the late Monte Kiffin, a longtime defensive mastermind and Super Bowl XXXVII champion. He grew up around football—specifically the coaching industry—and has taken a winding, often chaotic, path to emerge as the top name on the market today.
Here’s a look back at the up-and-down journey of Lane Kiffin.
Early years: From Fresno State QB to top assistant at USC
Kiffin committed to Fresno State out of high school with a vision of playing quarterback for the Bulldogs. However, after losing the starting job to eventual No. 1 NFL draft pick David Carr, he effectively quit the team and instead pivoted to coaching at Fresno.
As the story goes, Kiffin wasn’t happy with the reps he was getting behind Carr at practice his senior year and in response, failed to wear the knee brace that offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford made all of his quarterbacks wear. He was kicked off the field, and as Carr explained in an E60 special on Kiffin, "he comes back out about 30 minutes later, and now Lane has a polo on and is now the assistant wide receivers coach. That's where his coaching career began."
Kiffin spent two seasons as an assistant at Fresno State before heading to Colorado State for a year as a graduate assistant. He then got his first NFL shot in 2000 as a defensive quality control coach with the Jaguars, a one-season stint that ended when Pete Carroll—a friend of his father Monte—brought him to USC as an assistant, where he truly began to make a name for himself.
Over six seasons, Kiffin rose through the Trojans’ offensive ranks—first coaching tight ends and wide receivers before adding passing game coordinator duties in 2004, and ultimately becoming the offensive coordinator in '05. He was involved in back-to-back Heisman Trophy-winning campaigns with QB Matt Leinart (2004) and RB Reggie Bush ('05), and over three seasons as recruiting coordinator, helped USC land the top-ranked class every year.
His success in SoCal, which included two National Championships, helped Kiffin land his first head coaching job at ripe age of 31.
2007: Kiffin becomes youngest head coach in NFL history
In January of 2007, Raiders owner Al Davis decided to take a leap of faith by hiring Kiffin as Oakland’s next head coach. He signed him to a two-year deal and, at 31, made him the youngest head coach in NFL history at the time.
Kiffin’s tenure with the Raiders was ultimately short-lived and marred by plenty of drama and controversy. From disagreements over drafting quarterback JaMarcus Russell to disputes about defensive play-calling, he and Al Davis never saw eye-to-eye. Ultimately, Kiffin was fired with cause on September 30, 2008, and Davis publicly called him a “flat-out liar” at a press conference later that day.
He finished his tenure as Raiders head coach with a record of 5–15.
2009: Post-Raiders firing, Kiffin spends one season with Tennessee before heading West
While rumors of Kiffin having interest in open college jobs during his time with the Raiders were never fully proven, he was hired as Tennessee’s head coach in November 2009—less than two months after his firing in Oakland.
Much like his time in Oakland, Kiffin’s tenure in Knoxville was a quick one, though this time for a better reason. After leading the Volunteers to a 7–6 record and an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Kiffin made what some would consider a lateral move, deciding to go back to where it all started.
Kiffin’s decision to leave Tennessee was heavily scrutinized in the college football world, but in his own words, "was not an easy [one]."
2010 to ‘13: A return home
With Carroll leaving for an NFL opportunity with the Seahawks, USC hired Kiffin as the 23rd head coach in program history in January of 2010.
Dealing with the aftermath of sanctions handed down by the NCAA for a “lack of institutional control,” Kiffin's stint with the Trojans began with a two-year postseason ban and the loss of 30 scholarships over three years.
Even still, Kiffin led USC to three consecutive winning seasons—including a 10–2, No. 6 ranking to finish 2011.
However, after three straight losses to close out the 2012 season and just a 3–2 start to begin ‘13, Kiffin was fired following a 62–41 defeat at Arizona State. Rumor has it, athletic director Pat Haden relieved Kiffin of his duties while on the tarmac prior to their flight back to L.A., leaving the coach in Tempe.
“I think you’re always trying to figure yourself out, figure out mistakes that you’ve made,” said Kiffin during an appearance on ESPN's after his firing. “And so different things that I’ve done, that I wouldn’t do again, have followed me and that’s the price that you pay when you make mistakes early on.”
2014 to ‘16: Kiffin goes to coaching “rehab” with Nick Saban at Alabama
Nick Saban’s Alabama program became somewhat of a coaching rehab during the back-half of his time in Tuscaloosa, with a handful of prominent college football figures—Steve Sarkisian, Bill O'Brien, Charlie Strong, to name a few—entering the Crimson Tide program as damaged goods before exiting better for it.
Kiffin was among them, as well.
After his firing at USC, Kiffin was hired as Alabama’s offensive coordinator the following January. Over three seasons in Tuscaloosa, he won a national title, oversaw Derrick Henry’s Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in 2015, and ultimately parlayed that success into another head coaching opportunity—albeit at a smaller program.
2017 to ‘19: Another shot at a head coaching job
While still helping guide Alabama through the playoffs—though ultimately let go prior to the National Championship—Kiffin accepted the head coach position at Florida Atlantic University in December of 2016.
Though it was a step down into Conference USA, Kiffin made the most of the fourth head-coaching opportunity of his career. Over three seasons leading the Owls, he notched a 26–13 record, won C-USA twice, and made two Boca Raton Bowls—winning one and departing before the second, which we'll get to right now.
2020 to present: Kiffin returns to the SEC, brings Ole Miss back to prominence
And now, we enter the present era.
Following three successful seasons in Boca Raton, Kiffin was hired for his current job—the head coach at Ole Miss—in December of 2019. He’s amid his sixth season leading the Rebels, and as we mentioned previously, has them on track to make their first College Football Playoff appearance in school history.
Over the last six seasons, Kiffin and Mississippi have gone 54–19, 31–17 in the SEC, and qualified for a bowl game following each campaign—including two New Years 6 appearances.
It’s been quite the journey for Kiffin, who has done plenty to rebrand his once-tarnished image. Now the question becomes: Will his run in Oxford continue? Or will he bolt for Baton Rouge or Gainesville?
