Lane Kiffin didn’t wait long at SEC media day to make clear how he feels about Charlie Weis.
Since arriving at LSU, Kiffin has brought Weis with him from Ole Miss, continuing a coaching partnership that has followed the two through multiple stops. And when Kiffin spoke about the move, he made it sound less like a hire and more like a reunion built on trust.
"Charlie has done a great job," Kiffin said. "It's been awesome to see someone develop as a coach's kid and see him go through his growth."
Their connection goes back to the Alabama offense under Nick Saban, and Weis later worked two separate stints under Kiffin at FAU. After that, he spent two seasons at South Florida before joining Kiffin again at Ole Miss. That history made Weis an important piece of Kiffin’s offensive setup, and it helped explain why he was part of the transition to Baton Rouge.
Even after taking the offensive coordinator job with LSU, Weis stayed with the Rebels through the College Football Playoffs and helped them reach the semifinals before making the move. Kiffin made sure to highlight that stretch, too, crediting Weis for the work he did while Kiffin was away for part of the playoff run.
"We bounce things off each other. I chime in on game days but Charlie nowadays does the whole thing," Kiffin said. "I'm really happy how it happened that he got the credit offensively when I wasn't there for a couple games in the playoffs and how well they did on offense."
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Paul Finebaum Just Raised The Stakes For Lane Kiffin At LSU
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Finebaum also framed Kiffin as someone who keeps a lot of himself hidden from the public, saying the media-facing version of him can serve as a shield. The bigger takeaway for LSU fans is the timeline Finebaum attached to him, because he believes Kiffin could bring home a national title in the next few years. For a program always measured against the sports biggest standard, that kind of expectation only raises the temperature around every move that follows. [Read more 🡒]