Lane Kiffin has been in this situation before. He has been the subject of coaching rumors, good and bad.
So in today’s college football world when a legendary coach leaves a program, and names pop up immediately on who will replace him, Kiffin’s name is on the list.
That’s where we are with Alabama, as it seeks someone to replace Nick Saban. The 48-year-old Kiffin, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014–16, could be a candidate.
We think he should get the gig. Here are three reasons why.
Related: How Alabama football Top 25 poll ranking changed after Nick Saban’s announcement
Lane Kiffin is one of the best college recruiters in the country
In December, Kiffin and Ole Miss got the No. 1 transfer portal recruit defensive lineman Walter Nolen, who announced his commitment to Ole Miss after considering offers from Oregon and several others.
He is a 6-foot-4, 290-pound Mississippi native who had 37 tackles and four sacks at Texas A&M.
Nolen is an example of how well Kiffin recruits. Several sites have Ole Miss with the No. 1 transfer portal recruiting class, even ahead of Colorado and we know how Coach Prime is building the roster there.
Rivals ranked Ole Miss’ recruiting class 17th, which is outstanding when you consider who the Rebels have to compete against for players.
At Alabama, Kiffin would dominate. He would be selling a school that can play for a national championship every season. The Crimson Tide would continue to bring in as many or more five-star recruits than anyone.
Related: Best college football teams ever
Lane Kiffin is one of the best offensive play callers in the country
Ole Miss ranked 13th in yards per game and 16th in total yards this season. Alabama was in the 50s in those categories.
Kiffin has been a whiz working with quarterbacks and uses a dynamic passing attack that would flourish at Alabama with the qualify of receivers it has and can get on the roster.
Related: Grading college football coaching hires
What Lane Kiffin has done at Ole Miss is better than anyone could have projected
With the Peach Bowl win against Penn State, Ole Miss finished the season 11-2. The 11 wins was the most wins in a single season ever for the school.
In three seasons, Kiffin’s teams at Ole Miss have gone 29-10 and won 16 SEC games. The two losses this year were to Georgia and Alabama. And, well, almost everybody lost to those two.
What makes that run so impressive is that it is the best for the school since the great teams under legendary coach Johnny Vaught from 1960-62, when they went 29-3-1 and won a national championship.
Ole Miss is a school on the national radar and most preseason polls have it in the Top 10.