Editor’s Note: This piece presents critical commentary on Lane Kiffin’s career pattern of departures, based on documentary facts and public statements about a public figure whose actions also impacted FAU in a similar respect. The opinions expressed represent the author’s perspective and not necessarily those of the University Press’s editorial board or FAU Athletics.

Lane Kiffin is a household name for FAU football fans. He led FAU to two conference championships and has the highest winning percentage of all FAU coaches. On Monday, Dec. 1, Kiffin shifted the landscape of college football. Kiffin left the University of Mississippi’s (Ole Miss) football program one week before they were set to play in the college football playoff to join Louisiana State University as their new head coach. 

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” Kiffin said in a social media post at 3 p.m. Sunday. “I was hoping to complete a historic six-season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs … my request to do so was denied by Keith Carter, despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.”

It is the first time in the history of college football that a head coach left their team right before the college football playoff, and Kiffin took most of Ole Miss’s offensive staff with him to LSU, leaving a college football playoff team to scramble and put together a new staff in two weeks. Kiffin wanted to remain Ole Miss’s head coach until the end of the college football playoffs, but his request was denied by Ole Miss’s athletic director, Keith Carter. 

Kiffin said he was reminded by a close friend that LSU is considered by some to be among the premier head coaching jobs in college football; “LSU is the best job in football.”

“When you take the history, tradition, passion, and the great players in the state of Louisiana, no one can argue that when you’re in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, there is nothing like it,” Kiffin said, defending his choice to join LSU.

Though this decision infuriated Ole Miss fans, through a timeline of Kiffin’s career, it appears Kiffin has a history of leaving teams at their highest.

After years as an assistant at the University of Southern California, Kiffin became the youngest head coach in National Football League history, signing with the Oakland Raiders at the age of 31. He is the only FAU head coach to be hired as an NFL head coach, aside from Howard Schnellenberger. 

Kiffin’s first controversial exit came with the Raiders as well, as he was fired for “conduct detrimental to the Raiders” after a disagreement with owner Al Davis and rumors of Kiffin wanting to return to coaching college football. Davis referred to Kiffin as a “flat-out liar” and a “disgrace to the Raiders organization.”

After his firing in 2009, Kiffin became the next head coach of the University of Tennessee. At age 33, he was named the youngest head coach in college football. After the 2009 season, Kiffin left Tennessee to accept the head coaching job at the University of Southern California, once again leaving his team on short notice, as he viewed it as his “dream job.” Hundreds of students rioted on the University of Tennessee’s campus following his departure, and an unnamed Tennessee player referred to Kiffin as a “traitor.”

Kiffin’s USC tenure was a disaster, amassing a 28-15 record in three seasons. In his third season, boos rained down on USC during their home opener, with chants of “Fire Kiffin.” Kiffin was fired shortly after.

Following his exit from USC, Kiffin joined the University of Alabama football staff as an assistant coach. Three years later, on Dec. 12, 2016, Kiffin became the head coach of the FAU Owls. Kiffin signed a ten-year contract to coach the team. 

“We’re obviously looking forward to keeping Lane long-term,” said Former FAU President John Kelly, introducing Lane Kiffin. 

It was a reputation change; a coach who had a history of failure and controversy turned Owls football around, reeling off ten straight wins in 2017 after a 1-3 start, and winning their first ever conference championship in a 41-17 victory over North Texas, an improbable victory after no media members picked FAU to win the conference title heading into the season. 

“In order to do the impossible, you have to see the invisible … I just thought that we got a shot to do this thing again,” Kiffin said, celebrating FAU’s victory in the post-game press conference. 

After an injury-riddled 2018 season, Kiffin and FAU pulled off one of the most memorable seasons in team history. The Owls went 11-3, with a 7-1 conference record, marking their fifth winning season in franchise history and their second conference championship. They won their second conference championship with a 49-6 show of dominance against the University of Birmingham, Alabama. Kiffin praised the FAU players for rejuvenating his career. 

“They’ve done a great job, and they’ve helped me,” Kiffin said. “They’ve kind of taught me. I was used to all players thinking they were going to the NFL, and your job is to get the players drafted the highest that you can. This place helped me realize I have a bigger calling than that. My calling is to really help these kids develop.”

Directly following the game, Kiffin officially accepted the position to become the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.

“I am truly honored and humbled to join the Ole Miss family, and recognize this as a special opportunity to lead Rebel Football into the future,” said Kiffin before his introductory press conference.

Kiffin’s tenure at FAU and exit were generally positive, bringing the Owls unparalleled success. However, once again, he left a team for what he viewed as a better opportunity, and the Owls have felt the impact, as FAU has had only one winning season in the six seasons following Kiffin’s departure.

Ultimately, for Kiffin, he has not been loyal; instead, he has viewed his head coaching job at Ole Miss as a stepping stone to a bigger and better opportunity, and leaving for LSU is no different. He will become the second-highest-paid coach in college football, earning a seven-year, $91 million salary and reaching added incentives depending on Ole Miss’s playoff performance.

As Kiffin’s latest controversial exit finalizes, his history reveals that these departures tell Kiffin’s story — that of an incredible leader with a reputation for lacking loyalty. 

Mikai Datilus is a Staff Writer for the University Press. Email him at [email protected] or DM him on Instagram @mikaidat for more information on this and other stories.