It should come as no surprise that Lane Kiffin's interview this morning on ESPN College GameDay was chock-full of insight and entertainment as the man who has resurrected the Florida Atlantic program continues to be rumored for the vacant gig at Tennessee.
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In an exclusive interview with Tom Rinaldi, Kiffin had this to say in regards to the swirling rumors that he could return to Tennessee as the Vols' head coach.
Time heals everything, I guess. That wasn’t the reaction I remember when couches were burning, sneaking out with the cops to the airport.
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Kiffin also addressed his constant social media trolling of Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
I’m taking what the best motivator in all of college football does to motivate his team, and I’m using the same stuff in a different style. [. . .] I don't really think before I tweet. I like to get a reaction. I like to make people laugh.
Perhaps most interesting of all was Kiffin's answer to how his relationship with Saban is wrongly perceived by the public.
The last 26 times we were on the field together? 26-0. Did it get some taking used to by me? Was it rough at first? Yes, which is my fault. He’s the head coach, you know. Prior to that, the last time I was an assistant coach was six straight years, and that was with Pete Carroll. Nick Saban changed me. Three years with him, the best in the world at what he does, and I got to sit there and learn? There’s not a day that goes by that there’s not something I don’t draw in my head, ‘what would coach Saban do?'
Kiffin's Owls face one of their toughest tests today as they host 6-3 Florida International. A win secures a spot in the Conference USA championship game against North Texas and would run FAU's record to an impressive 8-3.
No doubt we'll see pregame motivation and in-game strategies from Kiffin today against the Panthers that he learned from Saban over the past few years.
