Rocky (Top) Exit

Lane Kiffin leaves Tennessee to succeed Pete Carroll at USC
By David Leon Moore and Jack Carey, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — Tennessee's Lane Kiffin is the surprise choice of Southern California to replace Pete Carroll as football coach, leaving the Volunteers after just one season.
The hiring was announced by USC on Tuesday night, hours after Carroll was introduced in Seattle as coach of the NFL's Seahawks.

Kiffin, 34, is a disciple of Carroll, serving on his staff from 2001 to 2006. In Kiffin's last two seasons at USC, he was offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

"This was not an easy decision," Kiffin said at a brief news conference in Knoxville. "It happened very quickly.

The move comes as a surprise because Kiffin had been with Tennessee for only this season and because UT has had at least six secondary violations of NCAA rules in Kiffin's tenure, which spanned just 14 months. He comes to a Trojans program under NCAA investigation since 2006, when allegations were reported that 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and his family received improper benefits from a would-be marketing representative.

Kiffin will bring with him his father, longtime NFL defensive coach Monte Kiffin, and veteran assistant Ed Orgeron, a former USC defensive line coach. Both were on the Tennessee staff last season.

Kiffin's one season at Tennessee will be remembered for a series of verbal gaffes and the minor NCAA rules violations and now, for his quick departure for Southern California.

"That's unbelievable," said former Volunteers offensive lineman Steve Robinson. "I'm not sure I'd use the word betrayal, but some people might."

The website GoVolsextra.com reported that dozens of students and fans marched into Knoxville's Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex Tuesday night chanting obscenities at Kiffin.

Students burned mattresses and piles of trash and gathered around the athletic department building in hopes of blocking Kiffin from leaving campus, according to the Associated Press.

"I think the students have had kind of a violent reaction to that, and a lot of them are disheartened, upset and feel betrayed that less than a year in that he would be leaving and taking off, "Knoxville Fire Department spokesman D.J. Corcoran said.

A giant boulder on campus known as The Rock where students often paint "Happy Birthday" messages, had obscenities directed toward Kiffin. Students tried to enter the room where Kiffin read his statement, holding a sign that read "Go home traitor. It's time," mimicking a campaign the university used to promote Kiffin when he was hired. But the students were turned back before Kiffin talked.



Well, this was unexpected. Me seeing Lane Kiffin bolt Tennessee after one year is like a shepherd having to cut loose one of his flock. Aside from blindly following the Cornhuskers and Lakers my other sports activities include defending a small group of souls who are met with a lot of criticism, deserved or undeserved. I'm their apologist. Lane, Rich Rodriguez, Roy Williams - they all get the benefit of the doubt from me. Until days like today.

On some level I can understand why Lane Kiffin would bolt one big time college football job for another but if you want to be taken seriously and repsected in the coaching profession, you can't make this move. Now there are a bunch of pissed off kids in Knoxville. The smattering of smoldering mattresses can attest to that. Paint that chest Bruce Pearl, it's going to be a long spring.

More on Kiffin to come.