Lane Kiffin Named USC head coach

coolsax

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/news/story?id=4820737

wow after only one year..... he better not ever show his face again in the state of Tennesee.

daboyz

Let's see.

Tennessee or USC?

Hmmmmmmmm........

No brainer.:D

Rodeo0530

He's a tool no matter where he's coaching.

Pauly

Maybe his dad will come back to the BUCS

Pauly

domflane

I'm for that, I'd love to have Monte back at Tampa. The defense needs all the help it can get.

coolsax

nope he's following dear old son to Sunny Southern California... I'm just hoping Tennesee isn't sucessful in stealing Muschamp from Texas..

Pauly

^^^ Just read that.

Oh well

Good Luck to them

Pauly

MacLeod

daboyz wrote: »

Let's see.

Tennessee or USC?

Hmmmmmmmm........

No brainer.:D

Well lets see - Tennessee has better facilities, pays more money and is in the best conference in college football.

USC is the best team in a so-so conference and pays less money.

He's taking the puss way. Hed rather sit on a beach and be the big dawg in in a mediocre conference. He doesnt have the balls to face off with Alabama, LSU, Aburn and Florida every year. He'd rather beat up on the Beavers in Oregon than be scrapping in the toughest conference in the country.

Kiffin is a ****! Takes the coaching staff with him AND calls kids that he's recently recruited and tells them to come with him.

shack

As the son of a University of Tennesse Grad, a University of Tennessee Grad myself, with one daughter that is a University of Tennesse Grad and one daughter that is a year away from being a University of Tennesse Grad...I am VERY close to this situation. I also may be in the smallest of minority of UT fans that has no problem with what Kiffin did. He was hired here, put together a great staff, recruited some top players, coached hard and improved the team that he started with. Now he has left for another job after only 14 months taking most of his staff (unfortunately including Monty) with him.

Any other school and I might have been pissed. But since day one he has said that USC was his "dream job". I disagree that it is a better job than Tennessee. UT is in a better conference and has better facilities, just as good or better fan base and just as storied of a history. But according to Kiffen, USC was THE JOB that he wanted...and I will take the man at his word on that. I dare say there are very, very few men or women who when presented with that one chance to take the job that is the pinnacle of their profession (in their mind) would not jump at the opportunity. I would...and won't fault Kiffin for doing so. Some say it is lack of loyalty, lack of character, etc. It is what it is and no big deal IMO.

It sucks for UT, it sucks for the fans, it sucks for the kids he recruited and came there because of him. However:

UT will recover, UT will survive, UT will flourish, the players, fans and university will have a new football coach and the sun will rise in the East in the morning and life goes on. The players signed on to play football for the University of Tennessee (not Kiffin) and they will continue to do so. Next fall 100,000+ fans will show up to watch home games at Neyland Stadium. They will play football.

Good luck Kiffin. I do hope that one day USC and UT meet and we get the opportunity to kick your team's **** and give you a taste of what you left....;)

DeusExa

My USC friends an hour's drive away are cheering..

Dawgfish

What has Lame Kitten ever done himself besides being able to assemble a good staff? That's right nothing, and now a lot of USC fans are cheering his hire. The man has like a 10-21 record as a head coach. If it weren't for daddy, the orgeron, and company he wouldn't do squat. Part of me feels really sorry for the UT fan base right now, then again the other part of me doesn't. Fans from other schools in the SEC have been telling UT fans all along that he was a royal ****, but most UT fans didn't want to see it. This is the kind of stuff that happens when you make a deal with the devil. UT fans, I think him leaving your program is a blessing. It might cause some short term loses, but in the long run you will probably be getting a better coach who actually cares about Tennessee and all of the tradition there. Lame Kitten departing, I say good ridance.

fossy

usc will fire him after 3 seasons ..... J/k .... the expectations for a college FB coach are just astronomical ...

4 years ago ... ppl in Austin were callin for Mack Brown's head ....now he's a god

FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEck it

kingtut

MacLeod wrote: »

Well lets see - Tennessee has better facilities, pays more money and is in the best conference in college football.
...

Is he getting less money at USC?

AsSiMiLaTeD

Well I suppose it's not as bad as Butch Davis sitting in a college recruit's home and telling him and his parents that he'd be there to see the kid graduate and then he's off to coach Cleveland the very next day...but I still don't like it.

The guy did a great job with Tennessee, but he's a tool for leaving that school and those kids in the lurch.

I also disagree on USC being the better job, for all the reasons that shack said. There's more 'hype' around USC currently, but with UT you're the biggest show in town. What did UT do this year, 7-6? I bet their stadium was full every single game. The fan support there is incredible. Let USC get a couple seasons like that under their belt and lets see how 'popular' they are - anyone else remember them back in the 90s?

BottomFeeder

Well... my folks graduated from USC as did my aunts, uncles & cousins. & 3 of my brothers & I graduated from USC as well (but none of us has the coin to put our kids there!!!).

I'm a little unsure about Kiffin's hire. People sure seem to think the world of him. Al Davis hires Kiffin, though he has no head coaching experience. Tennessee hires him, though Kiffin didn't do well w/the Raiders (was that his fault?). Yet USC rolls out the red carpet & throws the coin (& perhaps the dice) to get him.

I LOVE that he's bringing his dad & Orgeron with him. Those 2 guys are terrific. & I LOVE that USC is going after Norm Chow, who was the guy who built USC's incredible offense during their national championship runs. Kinda weird - this "kid" leading all of these vets.

The jury's out for me. However, I was the guy w/my mouth on the floor when USC hired Pete Carroll. "Pete Carroll? Why???"

& As far as Kiffin leaving UT, yeah, if I were a UT guy, I'd be ticked. But that seems to be the way the game's being played these days. Kiffin's something like 34 years old & he's now the commander of one of the best college football programs in the nation. Stay tuned, sports fans!

MacLeod

kingtut wrote: »

Is he getting less money at USC?

Thats the way I heard thats just been on some talk shows so I dont know for sure.

Demiurge

If the Vols wanted to show their balls they'd hire Mike Leach.

shack

Demiurge wrote:

If the Vols wanted to show their balls they'd hire Mike Leach.

That's one of the dumbest suggestions I've heard for a new coach....Right up there with hiring Phil Fulmer back....:rolleyes:

Demiurge

shack wrote: »

That's one of the dumbest suggestions I've heard for a new coach....Right up there with hiring Phil Fulmer back....:rolleyes:

Compelling argument.

AsSiMiLaTeD

Yeah, because Mike Leach did such a terrible with Texas Tech and all...

Tennesee is still a top tier college football job, but there's not alot of talent on the free market at the moment, it'll be interesting to see who they hire, but they need to get it figured out this weekend.

Demiurge

Look...I know we're a real sensitive society now, but Texas Tech is the same damn school who hired Bobby freakin' Knight. Ya know, throwing chairs around and screaming like you've never heard before. Was what Leach did a real dick move? Yes.

I think Bill Belichick is a total dick. Know what? He's been a big winner for a long time...and I wouldn't mind having an a-hole like him coaching my football team.

Tennessee would do well not to wrinkle up it's nose when it's in the position it is. I don't see the downside to giving Leach a shot other than having to listen to all of the helicopter parents whining that their adult children are coached by a big meanie.

shack

What Leach did with the broadcaster's kid has NOTHING to do with my statement. Leach was a "consideration" before Kiffin was hired and it did not go well. Seems he set up a meet with the AD and a couple of big money boosters and then blew them off and didn't show up...no explanation, no appolgy...no kiss my ****...nothing. Pretty much burned any bridges (albiet small ones) that may have been there. On top of that...Leach would fit in Knoxville about like Nancy Pelosi at a NRA convention. Any chance that Leach would be a consideration went out the window when Kiffin pulled his disappearing act. This hire will be a conservative choice...and that ain't Leach.

Demiurge

My apologies for assuming it had to do with his firing.

You'd know the inner workings of the Tennessee program better than I would. I maintain that Leach is a great choice and this is hardly off the wall thinking. He's an offensive mastermind, something that would fit very well with Tennessee. In fact, I think he'd be a better fit at Tennessee than with those West Texas boys he's been with. He's a hard **** with something to prove and Tennessee has something to prove as well.

If they go conservative, that's too bad I think. Leach would be a huge spark, even if he wouldn't be a long term answer. If he blew them off before it ought to be all water under the bridge now. Tennessee has real problems if they're worried about petty **** like that rather than winning football games. Besides, there are two sides to every story. Maybe Leach was a jag there, too. No idea.

Leach certainly isn't the only option, but he's not a dumb one. It'd be the ballsy choice.

Demiurge

Dooley introduced as Vols new coach

NOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Derek Dooley has the Southern accent, the coaching pedigree and is doing his best to reassure Tennessee fans their new coach appreciates where he's now working.

"How can you ask for anything more than the University of Tennessee?" Dooley said Friday.

The son of Georgia legend Vince Dooley was introduced as the Vols' second new head coach in 14 months, replacing Lane Kiffin days after he bolted for Southern California. Among his first challenges will be reassuring fans and players that he wants to be at Tennessee.

"The times of worrying about what happened is over," Dooley said.

Dooley talked about how he learned early that Tennessee represented the essence of college football, and remembers watching the weekly television shows of former coaches Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer. He also promised he will not try to sell Tennessee in a sound bite, perhaps taking a shot at Kiffin, who was reprimanded by the Southeastern Conference for brash comments.

"Everything we're going to do is going to be done with a foundation of integrity with every aspect of the program," Dooley said. "We're going to represent this institution with class on and off the field."

Dooley was offered the job late Friday afternoon, resigned as coach and athletic director of Louisiana Tech, and flew into Knoxville for the late news conference. He brings along a son with a name popular in Tennessee -- Peyton -- just like Kiffin, who named his young son Knox after taking the Vols' job in December 2008.

"I am finally happy to be in a state where Peyton will be well received," Dooley said of his 8-year-old son, whose name conjures memories of Vols' star four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning.

Like his predecessor, Dooley comes with a short head coaching resume.

He went 17-20 in three seasons at Louisiana Tech and was the only coach in major college football to also serve as the athletic director. He holds a law degree and previously worked for several years under Nick Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins.

Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said Dooley agreed that coaching the Vols is a destination job. He praised him for a five-year tutelage under Saban and for helping the current Alabama coach land two No. 1 recruiting classes at LSU.

"I've talked to a number of folks over the past 24 hours," Hamilton said. "He's been described as very intelligent, intense, disciplined, hard-nosed, a tenacious recruiter, a family guy and extremely well-organized."

The Volunteers introduced him three nights after Kiffin abruptly quit, bolting to USC only 14 months into his tenure with the Vols. Dooley was hired from a list of candidates believed to include Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, Duke coach David Cutcliffe and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.

Dooley's limited head coaching experience -- like Kiffin, whose only head coaching stint had been a brief, bad one with the Oakland Raiders -- makes him a risky pick. But the new coach's uncle, former North Carolina and Virginia Tech coach Bill Dooley, voiced his support.

"He'll do well anywhere he goes, and at Tennessee, he would do very well," Bill Dooley said in a phone interview from his home in Wilmington, N.C. "When you get a law degree, it gives you a little notch up. He's got his feet on the ground. He's levelheaded.

Dooley's father coached at rival Georgia from 1964-88 and won the 1980 national title. He did not return a call to his cell phone seeking comment, but his son said his father is excited.

Derek Dooley worked as LSU's recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach from 2000 through 2003's signing day, landing classes rated No. 1 in 2001 and '03. He coached LSU's running backs and special teams in 2003-04.

He followed Saban to the Dolphins as tight ends coach in 2005 before leaving for Louisiana Tech in December 2006.

Dooley was a receiver in college at Virginia. After earning his law degree from Georgia, he worked as an attorney for two years before starting his coaching career at Georgia in 1996 as a graduate assistant. He also worked as assistant recruiting coordinator at SMU from 1997-99 until being hired by Saban.

He went to Louisiana Tech in December 2006 as one of the youngest coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision and added the athletic director title in March 2008.

Dooley led the Bulldogs to their first bowl victory in more than three decades, beating Northern Illinois in the 2008 Independence Bowl.

"We are grateful for the contributions that Derek made to Louisiana Tech Athletics and we wish him luck in his new position," Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau said.

Louisiana Tech has appointed offensive coordinator Frank Scelfo to be its interim football coach and formed a committee to find a full-time replacement for Dooley.

There you have it.