Lane Kiffin opens up on unique relationship with Nick Saban

Lane Kiffin opened up on his unique relationship with Alabama coach Nick Saban. While Kiffin brought Ole Miss back into the national spotlight, he credited Saban with reviving his career when he was the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator.

Kiffin regularly pokes fun at other coaches around college football and Saban is no exception. But the respect goes way beyond casual fun between Kiffin and Saban.

He opened up about Saban and why he’s the GOAT on Sirius XM SEC Radio.

“I think it’s maybe an unusual way of showing respect for what he did for me,” Kiffin said. “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.”

Kiffin was Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014-16 under Saban after a wild saga from his USC days, NFL stint and back to college.

Kiffin was the head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders from 2007-08 but it ended disastrously after ownership wanted to force him out following a 4-12 season. 

Once Kiffin became the head coach at Tennessee in 2010, he left after one season to return to USC, this time as the head coach. Kiffin was infamously fired in the middle of his fourth season in 2013.

So the relationship between Kiffin and Saban is a unique one as it practically resurrected Kiffin’s career. After three seasons, Kiffin became the head coach at Florida Atlantic and went 26-13 in three years, winning two conference titles.

He parlayed that into a job at Ole Miss where he’s 23-13 in three years. Kiffin now regularly competes against Saban, but it’s all respect between the coaches.

They’ll see each other again in Tuscaloosa Sept. 23.