After just one season at the University of Tennessee, head coach Lane Kiffin is on the move again.
ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Kiffin has “agreed in principle” to replace Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California (a.k.a. Southern Cal) – the school where Kiffin spent six years as offensive coordinator from 2001-06 before a disastrous head coaching stint with the Oakland Raiders.
Southern Cal confirmed the hiring shortly after the news broke on ESPN.
“We are really excited to welcome Lane Kiffin back to USC,” Southern Cal athletics director Mike Garrett said in a statement. “I was able to watch him closely when he was an assistant with us and what I saw was a bright, creative young coach who I thought would make an excellent head coach here if the opportunity ever arose. I’m confident he and his staff will keep USC football performing at the high level that we expect.”
ESPN.com is also reporting that Kiffin will bring his father – defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin – and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron with him to Los Angeles.
Carroll was hired last week by the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League after posting a 97-19 record in nine seasons at Southern Cal – a stint that included four Rose Bowl wins and two national titles.
Southern Cal had its worst season in eight years in 2009, though, finishing a disappointing 9-4.
In his lone season at Tennessee, Kiffin was 7-6 with a 4-4 record in SEC play. The Volunteers finished second in the SEC East to Florida, but were blown out by Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Kiffin, 34, followed legendary head coach Philip Fulmer at Tennessee. Fulmer went 152-52 over sixteen-and-a-half seasons in Knoxville with one national championship, two SEC titles and six SEC Eastern Division crowns. He was fired after a 5-7 season in 2008, though.
In two and half seasons as a head coach at the college and pro levels, Kiffin is 12-21.
Additionally, his program at Tennessee is under NCAA investigation for its controversial “hostesses” program, and Kiffin had to deal with several off-field incidents during his brief stint in Knoxville. He should obviously fit right in at Southern Cal, which has been the subject of several recent athletic department scandals, as well.
Tennessee wide receivers coach Kippy Brown has been offered the interim head coaching job at Tennessee, but has also been offered a spot on Kiffin’s staff in L.A.
We’ll keep an eye out for his decision, but either way expect the Tennessee opening to generate plenty of speculation.
UPDATE: Brown has accepted the interim UT job.
By JR January 12, 2010 at 9:19 pm
That’s the only time principle and Lane Kiffin will able be used in the same sentence.
By bill January 12, 2010 at 9:47 pm
The REAL USC is in South Carolina, chowderhead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By What a reaction January 12, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Don’t quite know the ethics of reposting someone else’s comments, but a certain newsbabe with whom you are transfixed had this to say about Lame —
thinks LAME Kiffin is a little cocksucking bastard and hopes his “one and done” record as a head coach continues at USC. F You Lane Kiffin.
It’s on Facebook. Not much middle ground there.
By FITSNews January 12, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Wookie-
We are incredibly turned on by that. In fact … we may need to take a moment for ourselves.
-FITS
P.S. – It does go toward the betrayal Vols fans are feeling.
By Garnet Spy January 12, 2010 at 10:25 pm
The REAL USC is in Columbia. It was a school before Callifornia was a state! Clearly, the University-of-Southern-California-which-is-not-the-REAL-USC has little respect for its football program to hire this guy. In the wake of this hiring, the UT program is gonna take a big hit in morale and coaching consistency. GOOD!
By Liberty For Me January 12, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Thats what Tennesse gets for hiring such a dick…too funny
By Jeffy January 12, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Wild boyz head west
By Lundasoid January 12, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Sung to “Deck the walls X_mas song”
Check the brain on that Lane Kiffin;
Fa la la la la la lah la la
It’s no wonder UT’s trippin;
Fa la la la la la lah la la
………..
By Genomic Repairman January 12, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Lane is a retard his dad is the brains of the operation.
By joe morrison January 13, 2010 at 4:04 am
hallelujah. i hate lane kiffin. i hate tennessee football. i loved watching tennessee fans defend every a-hole move all year long, and all along i said those hillbillies would be the ultimate victims of this world class POS, lane kifffin. thats what you get, vols. and you 100% deserve it. first, dont come by beggng spurrier to take the job. aint happenin’. second. looks like the cocks just moved up permanently into the spot formerly held by tennessee in the sec east footbal stndings. and lastly, tennessee just lost their entire recruiting class. F@#$ you kiffin F@#$ you vols! o happy day!
By utah January 13, 2010 at 10:10 am
Folks, you are a poor excuse for an alumnus of the University of South Carolina.
By Bobby January 13, 2010 at 9:37 pm
We’re definitely the real USC. Southern Cal is a region within a state and we’re a an actual state, not to mention the fact that we were here first. On the map, SC stands for South Carolina not Southern California
By rivertripper January 14, 2010 at 10:47 am
The real USC should be Southern Cal since they have been a university since 1880 and South Carolina has been a university since 1906. When the University of Southern California was founded the school in Columbia was the South Carolina College Agriculture and Mechanics.
By What a reaction January 15, 2010 at 11:23 am
USC began as South Carolina College, in 1801, when California was part of Spain.
By Vol Fan January 15, 2010 at 3:39 pm
joe morrison you must live on another planet. USC will never be in the same league as UT. Whats the record between the two since USC entered the SEC? Kiffon sucks. I wanted Fat Phil to stay.
By CNSYD January 15, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Simple test. Ask 100 college football fans in each of the 50 states where USC is located. I will bet you dollars to dog turds the vast majority will say California. That is not USC east’s fault. It just shows you the power of the media to shape public opinion.
By Joline Clabough July 21, 2011 at 5:49 am
Undoubtedly my mind drifted back to the famous words, “No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft..”.
By overcome depression July 28, 2011 at 2:24 pm
When you were writing this post, you must have been thinking, “I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework..”.