Lane Kiffin Reflects on His Tenure as Alabama’s OC [Audio]
On an early September afternoon in Atlanta, Alabama football not only debuted the successor to A.J. McCarron at quarterback but also a new offensive coordinator in Lane Kiffin.
Three years later, Kiffin returns to the head coaching ranks as he will make his Florida Atlantic debut September 1 against Navy.
As Alabama’s offensive coordinator, Kiffin was a member of a national championship squad in 2015 and three consecutive SEC championship teams from 2014-2016.
During Tuesday’s edition of The Game with Ryan Fowler, Kiffin reflected on how his three seasons at Alabama made him a better coach.
“Well, I think I have become a lot better coach thanks to Coach (Nick) Saban. Being able to learn from him for three years and take notes every day and see how he runs arguably the most successful program in the history of college football. What he’s been able to do here lately has made me better in all areas.” Kiffin said.
From 2014 to 2016, Kiffin coached three different signal callers to SEC championships including true freshman Jalen Hurts last season.
“It was amazing what he did. I know that he’s been very beat up over the last game or last couple of games. People just totally forget he’s a true freshman.” Kiffin said. “Just to get to that point and to be the SEC Offensive Player of the Year, first one since, I think, Herschel Walker to be able to do that and not coming from a pass-happy background in high school where he’d always been groomed to be this quarterback since he was little is really amazing what he was able to do, and then take the team to the final game and lose a high-scoring game, I don’t know how you can ask much more for a true freshman.”
Alabama’s former offensive coordinator also described his work load under Saban, compared the profiles of Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa under center and looked back to the 2015 national championship season.
The Game with Ryan Fowler airs every weekday from 2-6 PM on Tide 102.9/100.9 and the radioPup app.