In the Spotlight

By Jim Gazzolo

Lane Kiffin took center stage Thursday morning as the new head coach of LSU.

He led off the last day of SEC Media Days in Tampa, speaking about his wild seven months in his new job. 

There was no great moment, no lightning-rod words that will light up social media.

Kiffin was tempered, respectful, and talked more about himself personally than LSU football. It is a far cry from what most are used to seeing when he talks. 

Kiffin spoke about the passing of his parents and how he has cleansed himself off social media before he ever got into Tiger football talk. 

It was a much different Kiffin than the one who spent most of his seven months since leaving Ole Miss for Baton Rouge just before the playoffs. That Kiffin put his foot in his mouth just about every time he opened it.

“I have apologized for that,” said Kiffin. 

This, of course, is not the first time we have seen Kiffin this way. He tried to rehabilitate his image just last year in a documentary. When you start to like the guy, he implodes.

It was never the move from Ole Miss that ate at people everywhere outside of Louisiana; it was how he did it. Like always, Kiffin’s exit was messy.

It’s always messy when Kiffin leaves. It was at Tennessee, at Oakland, at USC. That’s just the way it is when you take a ride on the Lane Train. 

It starts fast but ends bumpy.

“I made a challenging decision; I changed jobs,” said Kiffin. “I can’t be so concerned about what people think.”

That new attitude led Kiffin to accept the challenge of his son Knox and get off social media. That would go a long way in keeping him and the Tigers focused.

“I really just can’t wait to get on the field with the players and start to move the pieces around,” said Kiffin. “It is so exciting when you take a new job.”

Kiffin becomes the first coach to lead three SEC teams, so he knows the league. He has also been the head coach at Florida Atlantic and USC, along with being on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama.

He has openly said that his move to LSU was based on his belief that it was his best chance to win a national championship. That is why the pressure on Kiffin will mount, as expectations from Tigers fans are a national title or bust.

“We have put together a roster that can win now and in the future,” said Kiffin. 

Of course, when it comes to Kiffin, you never really know how long that future will last.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS Lake Charles.