Nick Saban’s name and Lane Kiffin’s keep ending up in the same conversation, and a new book adds another sharp detail to that story.
In John Talty’s new book, Lane Being Lane, a former Alabama coach says Saban gave a staff member a very direct warning about Kiffin during his run as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator. The message, according to the book, was simple: keep him away from college-aged women.
“You’ve got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college,” Saban reportedly said, according to the former coach. “Just keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they’ve graduated college or are working a job.”
Kiffin arrived at Alabama in January 2014, four months after USC let him go. He spent three seasons running the offense for Saban and helped reshape that side of the ball. But Talty’s book says concerns about Kiffin’s behavior away from football kept growing.
At the time, Kiffin was separated from his wife and their three children. His family stayed away from Tuscaloosa, and the book says Kiffin was often out at local bars and chasing women.
The book also addresses the rumors that followed him around during his Alabama stint. There was talk that Kiffin had been involved in an affair, but Talty’s reporting makes clear he was not fired for that reason, and those rumors were never confirmed.
Instead, the split between Kiffin and Alabama is presented as the result of a bigger buildup of tension, both on the field and off it.
The final break came when Kiffin accepted the head-coaching job at Florida Atlantic while Alabama was getting ready for the College Football Playoff championship game against Clemson. That timing added another layer of friction between Kiffin and Saban, even though both sides publicly said the move was mutual.
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