The Alabama Crimson Tide needed a late touchdown in the fourth quarter and a defensive fumble recovery to defeat Auburn 27-20 on Nov. 29.
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On Nov. 30, Lane Kiffin made his infamous decision to leave Ole Miss, set to make the College Football Playoff, to take the head coaching job at LSU. Kiffin had been tied to Florida and LSU for weeks, but there was some speculation Kiffin might have had interest in the Crimson Tide if the program parted ways with Kalen DeBoer after the Iron Bowl.
Instead, Alabama’s win set the team up for an appearance in the SEC championship. Kiffin is well-funded in Baton Rouge.
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During his show, host Paul Finebaum provided a disclosure about what happened with the Alabama coaching search in 2023 when Nick Saban retired. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was immediately connected to the Crimson Tide, but he didn’t want the job.
Kiffin did.
Finebaum said it was an “absolute fact” that Kiffin was working the phone to get himself in the door at Alabama.
“He would have crawled to Tuscaloosa, but Greg Byrne and others — I’m guessing Sabin was probably behind this as well. I guarantee that Nick Saban did not encourage Greg Byrne to hire Lane Kiffin at Alabama,” Finebaum said, via a transcription from On3.
Alabama chose Kalen DeBoer to be Saban’s replacement after DeBoer led Washington to an appearance in the CFP national championship. DeBoer is 20-8 during his first two seasons with the program.
Whether Kiffin would have taken the Alabama job in 2025 if DeBoer parted ways with the program remains unclear.
Frankly, LSU is in a better position to succeed nationally because of its deep pockets, even the title of head coach at Alabama carries a level of prestige the Tigers cannot match.
The Crimson Tide just don’t have the money to compete with LSU and Texas in the SEC at the present moment.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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