Kiffin’s Year in Knoxville: A Look Back

As Alabama travels to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers, the prevailing narrative revolves around Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and his return to the sideline where he once stood as head coach during the 2009 season.  Kiffin's one season as Tennessee's coach was about as eventful as it can get. He replaced a legend, brought about both hope and controversy, won some games he shouldn't have won, lost some games he shouldn't have won, recruited elite talent to Knoxville and then left out of nowhere for the same position at Southern California. Let's take a look back to understand why Kiffin remains such a hated figure in Tennessee football and how the 2009 season was a seminal one for the program.

For starters, we have to understand where the Volunteers were going into the season.  After winning the national championship in 1998, Vols coach Phillip Fulmer failed to capture another SEC title and the program was slowly falling from the national scene.  A disasterous 2008 campaign that saw Tennessee fail to make a bowl game was the final straw, and Fulmer was forced to resign.  It was an unceremonious end for one of the most successful coaches in school history.  Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin was shocking the football world with his swift climb up the coaching ladder.  An offensive coordinator under legendary USC coach Pete Carroll, Kiffin turned heads when he was named head coach by the Oakland Raiders in 2007. His stint there was disasterous, but the son of famed Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was still a hot name in college coaching searches.  To the Vols, he seemed like a can't-miss prospect.

Kiffin's approach to Tennessee was vastly different than the previous coach's.  Fulmer had been in the program since his playing days, and he embraced the storied tradition of the program.  Kiffin, on the otherhand, saw a program that needed to be brought into the 21st Century.  He changes the traditions inside the football program to be more brash and appealing to younger players.  He also brought in some traditions from his time at USC, which in hindsight should have been the first warning sign to Vol Nation that he was always looking west.

Kiffin also took aim straight at the rest of the SEC as a way to announce Tennessee's revival.  He accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of recruiting violations (which turned out to be bogus), and commented to then-recruit Alshon Jeffery that if he went South Carolina he would end up "pumping gas" (Jeffery was an all-conference player and now a productive member of the Chicago Bears).  One of his assistants Lance Thompson took it further by saying that he was going to dominate recruiting in Memphis and the "Nick Saban won't get another one of our boys." Hours later, Alabama landed a four-star receiver from Memphis (ironincally, Thompson is also currently on Bama's staff).

The Volunteers opened the 2009 season with a win over Western Kentucky before two close losses to UCLA and Florida. Though Tennessee lost those games, the team appeared to be much better than the 2008 team and impressed some critics.  They defated Ohio before losing another close matchup agaisnt the Auburn Tigers.  The season turned when the Volunteers crushed Georgia 45-19, sparking hope throughout the Smoky Mountains.  Next came a 12-10 loss to Alabama, marked by a possible game-winning field goal attempt being blocke by the Crimson Tide.  Though another loss, the Vols were again praised for almost beating a team they had no business even competing against.

On Halloween night, the Vols came out in black jerseys and stunned a ranked South Carolina team 31-13.  It appeared that Tennessee had indeed returned to form.  However, after an easy win over Memphis for Homecoming, the Kiffin's team was embarrassed by Ole Miss 42-17.  They finished the season with unimpressive wins over Venderbilt and Kentucky, finishing 3rd in the SEC West.  The team would play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl (now the Peach Bowl) on December 31st, losing to Virginia Tech 37-14.  Though the team finished just 7-6, Tennessee showed improvement. Kiffin had also recruited a talented group of high school players like Juwan James, Tyler Bray, Da'Rick Rogers and Rajon Neal.  While it was still unknown if Kiffin could return the Volunteers to the top of college football, it was clear the weight of SEC competition was not too tough for him.

And all that brings us to the fateful night of January 11th, 2010.  Pete Carroll had left USC, and every name on the list had turned them down. Tennessee officials knew that Kiffin was on the radar for the Trojans, and they were well aware of Kiffin's aspirations to lead USC.  Still, when he made the decision, it came as a shock to the entire nation.  Tennessee, once a pillar of the SEC and a perennial title contender, was now just a stepping stone to bigger and better things.  It was the most humiliating blow the Vols had ever suffered.

Since then, Tennessee has yet to have a winning season, and have only been to one bowl game.  Kiffin's replacement, Derek Dooley, was one of the worse head coaches in Tennessee's history.  Butch Jones has recruited well since his arrival in Knoxville, but he has yet to secure a winning season.  Former athletic director Mike hamilton was fired, partially for the Kiffin fiasco and partially for the scandal involing then-basketball coach Bruce Pearl.  The program went into serious debt as well.  In all, the Volunteers have been downright miserable both on and off the field since Kiffin's departure.  Though that is due to a variety of reasons, Kiffin has become the public face of this downfall.  To be fair, when you announce yourself as a bad guy, you can't be surprised when you are treated like one.

Kiffin made no friends during his time in the SEC.  But as we've seen with Nick Saban in the past, he isn't loking for friends on his coaching staff.  He's looking for winners. Despite all of Kiffin's baggage, he worked with one of the greatest college football offesnes ever at USC.

This game is a culmination of years of frustration for Tennessee fans. They have a chance to cause suffering for two of their tormentors.  They won't take that for granted.