Lane Kiffin reveals how the group text among former Nick Saban assistants has changed over the years

The bond between former Nick Saban assistants runs deep. There’s also an infamous group chat of the former Alabama assistant coaches, Lane Kiffin revealed in 2020, and he confirmed it’s still active.

However, it doesn’t look the same as it did three years ago. Why?

Well, Kiffin explained as only he can.

“It kind of changes in and out because the room changes in there and people keep getting fired,” Kiffin joked at the SEC Spring Meetings.

The group chat got national attention in 2020 when then-Tennessee coach and former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt received a text from Kiffin during his radio show. That led to a question from Paul Finebaum about it, which is when Kiffin confirmed the chat exists — and it also included Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp.

As the chat evolved over the years, more have come up. Kiffin noted what that means if someone steps out of line.

“We have different ones,” Kiffin said. “[If] Muschamp says something bad to me, I was going to say, ‘Well, you ain’t in this meeting anymore.'”

Working under Saban has been key for multiple current head coaches to get back in the head chair. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, Maryland coach Mike Locksley and Florida coach Billy Napier are some of the current head coaches who worked at Alabama under the legendary head coach.

Sarkisian has been open about the impact Saban has had on his career, as has Kiffin. However, the Ole Miss headman acknowledged he has a unique relationship with his former boss — and there’s a reason for that.

“I think it’s maybe an unusual way of showing respect for what he did for me,” Kiffin said on SiriusXM SEC Radio last month. “First of all, I respect the guy’s the greatest college coach to ever coach college football, because he’s doing it in the era different than Bear Bryant and some of those names because of scholarship limitations compared to back then. Imagine Nick Saban had unlimited scholarships or 150 players. If he could take under 150 players good luck to everybody else. I mean, it’d be Alabama and Georgia, I guess. 

“So for him to do what he does is unbelievable. And then for what he did for me personally, it was unbelievable. So it’s kind of like one of those like, he’s like a family member where I can joke about him or something. But if someone else does, it really pisses me off.”