Lane Kiffin turned down UCLA OC job

UCLA offered Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin the chance to succeed Noel Mazzone as offensive coordinator, but Kiffin turned the chance down, according to a tweet from ESPN associate editor Sam Strong.

The Bruins ended up promoting running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu to the position not long after Mazzone signed a three-year deal with Texas A&M to run its offense, but the question poses itself. Why would Kiffin leave Alabama at all?

Sure, Kiffin has ties to the west coast, having gone 28-15 (17-12 Pac-12) in three-plus years as head coach at USC, but he had just helped lead Alabama to a spot in the national championship game at the time of receiving UCLA’s offer. Alabama ranked 19th in total offense and ultimately beat Clemson in the national championship game, so what reason besides money would Kiffin, who has head coaching experience on the collegiate and NFL levels, have to go to a less competitive conference just to be a coordinator?

“I have a great job,” Kiffin said Saturday. “So anytime that stuff comes up, I remind myself that I have a great job with great players and a great head coach, and there are only two teams still playing, so we’re fortunate to be here.”

Needless to say, barring a major change in tune, expect Kiffin to be patrolling the sidelines with Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa for a good long while.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

Columnist thinks Bobby Bowden is the best coach ever
Columnist thinks Bobby Bowden is the best coach ever