College Football

Bama OC leaving for Michigan means LANE KIFFIN-TO-ALABAMA RUMORS

With its offensive coordinator out the door, Alabama could hire one of college football's most polarizing figures.

By Chris Fuhrmeister@ccfuhr Jan 9, 2014, 8:54am EST

Update: Lane Kiffin will interview for Alabama's offensive coordinator job this week, CBS Sports reports.

After Al Borges was sent packing, Michigan appears to be bringing on Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier to run the attack, making him one of the nation's highest-paid coordinators in the process. For the Crimson Tide, Nussmeier's departure could result in one of college football's biggest names (though not always for good reasons) arriving in Tuscaloosa. Former USC head coach Lane Kiffin is reportedly a legitimate candidate to become 'Bama's new OC.

Nussmeier wasn't fired, and he is receiving a significant pay raise at his new job, but news of his departure didn't exactly upset Alabama fans. Despite the Tide offense averaging 38.7 points and 454.1 yards per game, ranking 17th and 33rd in the nation, respectively, the perception was that the offense had gotten a little stale.

bama's O last year was mcelwain light and the numbers bear that out http://t.co/JqNPA4wpRu if there was ever a time to overhaul it, it's now
— C.J. Schexnayder (@kleph) January 9, 2014

Even head coach Nick Saban was reportedly ready for a change, as Year2 at Team Speed Kills points out.

Then again, SI's Stewart Mandel thinks Saban wasn't a fan of this year's offense, and Nussmeier reportedly was interested in the currently vacant OC job at Notre Dame. Apparently Paul Finebaum was insinuating that Nussmeier wasn't long for the job yesterday, though I didn't hear that myself. The fact that UM swiped him mere hours after announcing Borges's firing would make it seem like this was prearranged. I don't think this was a, "leave so we don't have to fire you" deal, but it doesn't seem like Bama wanted to fight for him.

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Nussmeier's departure is where Kiffin comes in. A few national media members have mentioned the former Raiders/Tennessee/USC head coach as a high-profile candidate, and he was in Tuscaloosa last month to evaluate Alabama's offense and give Saban advice. Roll 'Bama Roll, SB Nation's Tide blog, is taking the Kiffin rumors fairly straightforward, and not going overboard in reaction.

This would be an interesting hire to say the least as Kiffin has been something of a polarizing figure everywhere he's been, recently fired after three-plus seasons as the head man at USC. He has only two years' experience as an OC, running the USC juggernaut in 2005 and 2006 before taking a Head Coach position with the Oakland Raiders. Kiffin is known as an elite recruiter.

With Kiffin having coached Tennessee for one season before bolting to USC, Volunteers fans are understandably twitchy at the thought of the coach returning to their conference and scheming against them every year. Will Shelton at Rocky Top Talk has some bad blood.

Then again, when your girlfriend leaves you in the middle of the night you don't often get the chance to play her five years later on The Third Saturday in October.

The best revenge is living well, but there's no better living than beating Alabama. And there's no more satisfying way to beat Alabama than to do so with Junior Visor over there on the sideline.

Before taking the head coaching job with the Raiders, Kiffin was USC's offensive coordinator in 2005 and 2006. The Trojans averaged 39.2 points per game over those two seasons.