Lane Kiffin Hired as Alabama Offensive Coordinator (Confirmed)

A source has informed ESPN’s Alex Scarborough that the University of Alabama has hired Lane Kiffin as the offensive coordinator.

Kiffin attended Tide practices leading up to the Sugar Bowl and Coach Nick Saban had this to say about him. “Lane is a really good offensive coach, and I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for him,” Saban said. “Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit to get some professional ideas with our guys is a really positive thing.”

Kiffin was fired as USC’s head coach earlier this season. He had a 28-15 record with the Trojans following a one-year stint at Tennessee, where he was 7-6.

UPDATE: Tweet from the University of Alabama makes it official

Courtesy of UA Media Relations:

 University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of Lane Kiffin on Friday. Kiffin will serve as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“We are excited to have Lane join our staff,” said Saban. “He is an outstanding and creative offensive coach who has great experience both at the college and NFL level. He has a very good understanding of the game and I have always been impressed with what I saw in the games he called. He coaches with a great deal of passion and enthusiasm, and also does an excellent job as a teacher. Lane will be an outstanding addition to our coaching staff and we look forward to him and his family joining us at the University of Alabama.”

Kiffin spent the last three-plus seasons as the head coach at Southern California where he compiled a 28-15 record. He led the Trojans to a 10-2 record in 2011 and a sixth-place finish in the final Associated Press poll. His 2011 USC offense produced a 3,500-yard passer, a pair of 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher. Before Kiffin’s arrival, the Trojans were averaging 26.5 points per game in scoring offense and 389.1 yards per game in total offense. In his first two seasons, those numbers increased to 31.0/431.5 in 2011 and 35.8/456.8 in 2012.

“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,” said Kiffin. “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. 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 served as the head coach at Tennessee in 2009, leading the Volunteers to a second-place finish in the SEC East and an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Vols offense jumped at least 34 places in every national statistical category over the 2008 figures. UT improved from 17.3 to 29.3 points per game while going from 268.8 to 383.5 yards per game in total offense. Kiffin came to Tennessee from the Oakland Raiders, where he served as head coach from 2007-08.

Prior to his first head coaching job, Kiffin spent six years as an assistant coach for Pete Carroll at Southern California, including two years as the offensive coordinator (2005-06). During his first tenure with the Trojans, USC captured two national championships and compiled a 65-12 record. Kiffin was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004 and helped Matt Leinart win the Heisman Trophy as he passed for 3,322 yards with 33 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He took over as USC’s offensive coordinator in 2005 and led the Trojans to a scoring average of 49.1 points per game and 579.8 yards per game of total offense during his two years as offensive coordinator. Kiffin started at USC in 2001 as the tight ends coach and then coached the wide receivers during his remaining five years.

Kiffin graduated from Fresno State in 1998 and was a student assistant for the Bulldogs under Pat Hill in 1997 and 1998. He moved on to Colorado State in 1999 as offensive line assistant. He spent the 2000 season as defensive quality control assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin.

Kiffin and his wife, Layla, have two daughters (Landry and Presley) and one son (Knox).

All such employment contracts are subject to approval by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.