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Tennessee Vols: Monte Kiffin Says Lane Kiffin Should’ve Stayed At Tennessee

By Zach Ragan

Mar 26, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Lane Kiffin throws out a pitch prior to the spring training game between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Lane Kiffin throws out a pitch prior to the spring training game between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Tennessee Vols coach Lane Kiffin is a very polarizing figure in college football, but in East Tennessee he’s met with near unanimous dislike.

In early December 2009, Lane Kiffin was a beloved figure among Tennessee Vols football fans.

But his abrupt departure for USC, however, turned him into the biggest villain Knoxville has ever seen.

Kiffin’s “dream job” at USC didn’t turn out like he probably thought it would when he left Tennessee. He was fired in 2013, after failing to deliver with a pre-season top ranked team.

It’s become quite clear over the last couple of years that Kiffin knows he made a mistake leaving Tennessee, even though he says he has no regrets.

On Thursday, Kiffin’s father Monte, his defensive coordinator at Tennessee, told ESPN’s Chris Low that Lane should’ve stayed in Knoxville.

That’s easy to say in retrospect, but the truth is that Lane wasn’t ready for USC, and he wasn’t ready for Tennessee either.

There’s no doubt that Kiffin possesses a gifted football mind. And he might be at the point now where he will be a great head coach.

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But if Kiffin had stayed at Tennessee, he would’ve suffered the same fate he did at USC.

There were lessons Kiffin needed to learn. He needed to be humbled.

It’s a romantic thought that Kiffin could’ve stayed at Tennessee and won a national championship. The reality, however, is that the only difference in Kiffin coaching at USC and Tennessee is the airport he would’ve been left at after getting fired.

I don’t blame Kiffin for leaving Tennessee for USC. No more than I’d blame a former Vol for leaving a school after a year to come coach the Vols.

But what’s done is done, and I think it’s time for fans to move on stop harboring ill will toward Kiffin.

Kiffin went with his heart, just like Vol fans go with their heart.

And there’s nothing wrong with either.

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