ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 31: Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Head Coach Nick Saben of the Alabama Crimson Tide walk during pre game of the 2016 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
NCAABy David Lauterbach on

Before Lane Kiffin became the head football coach at Florida Atlantic University, the 42-year-old was the 0ffensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Alabama from 2014-2016. Kiffin accepted the FAU job in December of 2016 before Alabama lost the CFP National Championship game to Clemson, 35-31.

Kiffin was no longer with the Crimson Tide went they lost to the Tigers in the title game, but if he still had been, the former Alabama OC thinks he would’ve helped them win it all.

When asked by the Washington Post if the end result of the game would’ve been different had he been there, Kiffin was honest.

“I do,” Kiffin said. “It’s no disrespect to Steve. No matter who it was, you’ve been there all year long. You’ve been there for the quarterback. You’re all he knew. You were undefeated together. We’ve won [26] straight games together. You feel like, okay, it’s different. As great as Sark is, it’s just different. Again, if it had been 14 points either way . . . when it’s one play here or there, you think if those guys had the person they were used to, it would have made a difference.”

The “Steve” that Kiffin is referring to is former University of Washington and University of Southern California head coach Steve Sarkisian. “Sark” was the offensive coordinator for Alabama for one game last season- the title game.

“It was rough,” Kiffin told the Washington Post. “It got really rough when you watched the game. At first, the idea of, ‘Okay, do your job. Focus on this one.’ But really when you watched it and because they lost and it was so close. If they lose by a lot, you don’t feel like, ‘Okay, would there have been a difference?’ You lose by one play, one second, it’s natural to think, ‘Okay, you could have made a difference.’”

Ultimately, we’ll never know if Kiffin if is right or wrong, but switching offensive coordinators surely didn’t help things for the Crimson Tide in the title game.

[Washington Post]

About David Lauterbach

David is a writer for The Comeback. He enjoyed two Men's Basketball Final Four trips for Syracuse before graduating in 2016. If The Office or Game of Thrones is on TV, David will be watching.

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1 thought on “Lane Kiffin thinks Alabama would’ve beaten Clemson if he had still been the OC”

  1. IF KIFFIN WERE STILL THERE ALABAMA WOULD HAVE LOYALITY PROBLEM WITH HIM AND PLAYERS DON’T NEED SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT GIVE THEM FULL ATTENTION , HE HAD BEEN ON THE HUNT FOR 2 YRS AND OVERSOLD HIMSELF AND NOW HE IS WORKING FOR LESS MONEY AND HAS FOUND HIS TRUE VALUE.
    BETTER IF HE KEPT HIS MOUTH SHUT HE’S NOT A PLAYER IN THE BIG BOY GAMES. IF HE KEEPS THIS UP HE WON’T EVEN BE A HIGH SCHOOL COACH

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