Lane Kiffin Creating Stir in SEC Football
Tennessee Football Coach Making a Target of Himself, Team
Feb 6, 2009
Lane Kiffin’s first couple of months as the University of Tennessee’s football coach have provided some interesting banter around the Southeastern Conference. His post-National Signing Day allegations of recruiting violations by Florida coach Urban Meyer proved unfounded and was just the latest in a string of questionable public comments by the new Head Vol.
At issue was Kiffin’s claim that Meyer had phoned coveted recruit NuKeese Richardson while Richardson was on his official visit to Knoxville. Local CBS affiliate WVLT-TV reported that Kiffin told a booster gathering that Meyer, by making the call, had “cheated” and still not gotten the recruit.
Florida Responds, SEC Reprimands
Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley issued a strongly worded statement that there was no violation and suggested an apology from Kiffin was in order. The SEC office later confirmed that no such rule existed and Commissioner Mike Slive issued a public reprimand for violating the conference code of ethics in publicly criticizing a member institution or coach.
The brash newcomer has tweaked some noses around the SEC to be sure during his short time in Knoxville. The UT coach recently publicly boasted of his success in raiding other SEC staffs and has traded jabs with Steve Spurrier, the master of SEC trash talk. The difference is that Spurrier knows how to push the envelope in his comments while usually making people laugh along the way. He also has six SEC championships and a national title that gives him a certain platform. Perhaps his introductory press conference was a harbinger of things to come when he stated that he looked forward to "singing Rocky Top all night long" in Gainesville next year after his Vols defeat defending BCS champ Florida.
A New Style
If Tennessee wanted change when they fired Philip Fulmer, they sure got it. Fulmer spent practically his entire adult lifetime in Knoxville as either a player, assistant coach, or head coach. He was typically reserved in his public comments, refusing to exchange barbs with Spurrier, and was generally considered a great ambassador for the University while compiling a 152-52 overall record and capturing the 1998 BCS championship.
Kiffin may one day be held in such esteem as well. However, a 33-year old whose only head coaching stop resulted in a 5-15 record with the Oakland Raiders would do well to listen more and speak less. The pressure cooker that is the SEC features four head coaches with national championships on their resumes. Until this year, Fulmer was the fifth.
If Kiffin ultimately does not succeed, he will not have a lack of administrative support to blame. UT and its boosters issued a blank check of sorts, allowing him to hire the highest-paid staff in the country, led by his father Monty’s reported $1.2 million salary as defensive coordinator.
While no coach’s mission is to please fans and staffs at other schools, it is probably not wise to go out of one’s way to intentionally alienate them either. Pride and passion run deep in this conference. So do memories. Gator fans delighted in Meyer’s retaliation against Georgia at the end of UF’s 49-10 drubbing of the Bulldogs last October for UGA's choreographed end zone celebration the year before. Meyer ordered up two last minute timeouts to extend the Georgia agony as long as possible. Given the opportunity, one can expect something of a similar nature when the Vols travel to Gainesville this year.
