News just came out that UCLA Football Head Coach Jim Mora offered the then-open offensive coordintor position to former USC Head Coach Lane Kiffin, but it is probably best he turned down the Bruins.
What could have been… Lane Kiffin, UCLA Offensive Coordinator.
Well it looks like UCLA Football fans dodged a built as ESPN broke news that former USC head coach Lane Kiffin (you know, fired on the Tarmac Kiffin) had been offered the Bruin’s OC job last week, but turned it down.
First off, it is not as if Kiffin is hurting for a job as he just won a National Championship with Alabama. Though the position was offered before the National Championship Game, Kiffin had turned down Mora, which is probably for the best from a UCLA perspective.
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UCLA fans, as well as USC fans, know all too well what Kiffin can do for a program. Back in 2013, Kiffin had drove the Trojan football program straight into the ground, which they have yet not recovered from (although USC Athletic Director Pat Haden has a part in that mess as well).
UCLA Bruins
On September 30, 2013, after an embarrassing 62-41 loss at Arizona State and a 3-2 start, Haden met Kiffin on the tarmac at LAX and relieved him of his duties.
It was not necessarily that loss that prompted his termination, but his actions since taking over at USC which did not sit well with the Trojan’s administration.
Remember when he lied about not voting USC #1 in the coaches preseason poll but actually did? We do! And that was just one small issue.
Though he has been relatively mellow whilst at Alabama (seriously, who could have a bigger ego there than Nick Saban?), memories of his past antics still resonate from Oakland to Tennessee to South Central.
Despite winning a national championship as the Crimson Tide’s OC, his attitude precedes him, which would make him an odd fit for the Bruins who are seemingly egoless.
Despite a few bumps in the road, the UCLA Football program under Mora has been relatively drama-free. UCLA is not USC, so Mora should not try to make it so. The Trojans have their own problems which they have to deal with (*cough*cough*another questionable coaching hire*cough*cough*), so Mora has to continue to build his own dynasty.
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Though the promotion of UCLA RB coach Kennedy Polamalu to offensive coordinator did not excite many Bruin fans, it is what the UCLA Football team needs at this point. Not some coach that is hated in 49 of the 50 United States.