Lane Kiffin’s LSU Move Rekindles Memories of His Tumultuous Raiders Tenure
Lane Kiffin is back in the headlines-and not just for jumping ship from a College Football Playoff-bound Ole Miss squad to take over at LSU. For fans of the Las Vegas Raiders, the name Kiffin stirs up memories of one of the more chaotic chapters in the franchise’s already turbulent recent history.
Let’s rewind to 2007. The Raiders, still in Oakland at the time, were coming off years of instability and searching for a fresh start.
Enter Kiffin, just 31 years old, plucked from Pete Carroll’s USC staff and handed the reins to one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. At the time, he was the youngest head coach in the modern era-a bold, headline-grabbing hire by Al Davis, who was never afraid to roll the dice.
But that gamble didn’t pay off.
Kiffin’s first season in silver and black ended with a 4-12 record. The offense, which many hoped would be rejuvenated under his guidance, struggled mightily-ranking 23rd in scoring.
The following year, things unraveled quickly. After just four games in 2008, with the team sitting at 1-3 and averaging 19.5 points per game, Kiffin was shown the door.
And it wasn’t a quiet exit.
Kiffin’s dismissal came just two days after one of the most baffling decisions in recent NFL memory: a 76-yard field goal attempt by Sebastian Janikowski. That’s not a typo-76 yards.
At the time, the NFL record stood at 63. The decision raised eyebrows across the league, and within 48 hours, Kiffin was out.
Al Davis didn’t hold back, delivering a now-infamous press conference-complete with an overhead projector-where he laid out his grievances in dramatic fashion. It was vintage Raiders theater, and it cemented Kiffin’s stint as one of the most controversial in team history.
Of course, Kiffin’s time in Oakland wasn’t helped by the presence of JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft. Kiffin reportedly didn’t want Russell, and the two never found any rhythm. It’s fair to say no coach could’ve salvaged that situation, but the disconnect between coach and quarterback only added fuel to the fire.
Now, nearly two decades later, Kiffin is on the move again-this time leaving Ole Miss for LSU, a conference rival, just as the Rebels were preparing for a shot at the national title. It’s a move that’s drawn plenty of criticism, and one that feels all too familiar to those who watched his Raiders tenure unfold.
Interestingly, reports suggest Kiffin consulted with Pete Carroll-now the head coach in Las Vegas-before making the jump to LSU. It’s a strange twist of fate that two figures tied to one of the Raiders’ darker periods are once again loosely connected, this time on opposite sides of a college football power move.
Kiffin’s coaching journey has been marked by talent, ambition, and a trail of messy exits. LSU will be his sixth head coaching job, and if history is any indication, there’s likely to be some turbulence along the way.
For Raiders fans, the news out of Baton Rouge is more than just another college football headline. It’s a reminder of a time when the franchise was desperate for stability and instead found itself in the middle of a public feud between a young head coach and an iconic owner.
Kiffin’s 20-game run in Oakland may have been short, but it left a lasting impression-one that still echoes through Raider Nation whenever his name pops back into the spotlight.