Lane Kiffin To Be USF’s Main Target If Willie Taggart Accepts Oregon Job
Lane Kiffin will be the main target for South Florida if current Bulls head coach Willie Taggart decides to take the Oregon position.
Lane Kiffin will be the main target for South Florida if current Bulls head coach Willie Taggart decides to take the Oregon position.
Add another name to the list of schools that are interested in bringing in Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin as new head coach.
With South Florida head coach Willie Taggart being a target for Oregon’s open position, the Bulls have focused on the 41-year-old Kiffin as its possible next head man, per Sports Talk Florida.
The job would be intriguing for Kiffin due to the chance to coach quarterback Quinton Flowers, who won the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year after accounting for 3,973 yards of total offense and 37 total touchdowns this past season. Flowers will be returning next season, along with running back Marlon Mack who rushed for 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns, for a Bulls team that went 10-2 this season.
Kiffin will be interviewing with Houston for its head position this week, as the Cougars look for a replacement for the highly successful Tom Herman who departed for Texas. Both Houston and South Florida are in the AAC and reside in fertile recruiting grounds.
Another open job that Kiffin is reportedly interested in is the offensive coordinator position at LSU under Ed Orgeron. Kiffin and Orgeron worked together at both Tennessee and USC when Kiffin was the head coach at the two respective schools.
Where Kiffin lands is still up in the air, but his departure from Tuscaloosa seems as good as done. After the Crimson Tide defeated Florida, 54-16, to win the SEC title on Saturday and clinch their spot in the College Football Playoff, Kiffin was asked if he would finish the season with Alabama.
“Yeah, I hope so. If they let me.”
Whether “they” are the Crimson Tide or his new employers, it will be interesting to see if Kiffin handles himself the same way that both Herman, who was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, and former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart did after accepting head coaching positions while their current teams were playing in the playoff. Both decided to stay in their respective coordinator positions during the playoffs while also handling duties of their new positions as head coach, ultimately helping their incumbent squads win titles before moving on.
MORE: Lane Kiffin’s Inevitable Departure From Alabama Will Show Whether He’s Matured
