Alabama hired former USC head football coach Lane Kiffin as their offensive coordinator and quarterback coach on Friday. He replaces Doug Nussmeier who left for Michigan.
Kiffin had coached in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders. In college football he was the head coach at Tennessee and USC. In four seasons with USC and one with Tennessee, Kiffin was 35-21, and had a 5-15 record with the Raiders, according to Sports Network. Kiffin was part of two national championships while at USC. He was fired from USC after five games last season.
'We want to thank the University of Alabama and Coach Saban for this tremendous opportunity, and we feel humbled and honored to be a part of the Crimson Tide family,'' Kiffin said in a statement, the Associated Press reports. ''I've always had the utmost respect for what Coach Saban has done with his programs. Having the unique opportunity to be here last month, I was able to meet some of the great players and the great people in the organization, and I'm very excited to start working with them."
Kiffin added, ''We've seen the passion and support of the Alabama fans firsthand, and when that's combined with the storied history and tradition of the program, this is a very special place to coach.''
Kiffin’s first priority will be to find a replacement for quarterback A.J. McCarron. Alec Morris is one possible candidate. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. It will be interesting to see how Kiffin does at Alabama.