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Despite years of speculation he could ultimately succeed Nick Saban at Alabama, Ole Miss football coach and former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin reportedly was never “seriously in the mix” to replace him in Tuscaloosa, per a Wednesday report by ESPN.
ESPN’s Chris Low on Wednesday reported on the whirlwind created by Saban’s retirement on Jan. 10 — including the candidates Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne immediately considered to replace the coaching legend.
Kiffin is widely credited with modernizing Alabama’s offense under Saban, and has experienced success in the SEC with the Rebels, going 34-15 and leading the program to two double digit-win seasons in 2021 and 2023. Despite that success and familiarity with the Crimson Tide program, he reportedly was not a serious candidate to replace him. Nor was Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, a walk-on wideout at Alabama who won a title with the program in 1992.
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However, another potential Saban replacement candidate out of the ACC, Mike Norvell of Florida State, could have opened the door for Kiffin to leave Oxford. Had Alabama landed the Seminoles’ football coach — one of two coaches ESPN identified as leading candidates to replace Saban, alongside Washington’s Kalen DeBoer — FSU considered Kiffin to be a “prime candidate” to replace Norvell.
Per Low, Florida State officials feared Norvell was close to accepting the Alabama job early on Friday, Jan. 12, and that the university was “poised to move quickly” to replace him. Kiffin would have been among the top targets available. As it stood, Norvell would remain at FSU, which he confirmed later in the day.
“You respect the place. You respect the position,” Norvell said of Alabama, via ESPN. “At the end of the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ole-miss-lane-kiffin-never-161336635.html
Author : The Clarion Ledger
Publish date : 2024-03-06 16:13:36
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