Fallout From Kiffin Leaving Vols for USC

Dave Curtis and Matt Hayes - SportingNews.com

Sporting News college football columnists Dave Curtis and Matt Hayes weigh in on the hot topics in their sport.

First down: Did Tennessee get what it deserved by hiring the outspoken, controversial Lane Kiffin a year ago?

Curtis: It looks that way. Bringing Kiffin aboard at UT was a gamble for sure. He wasn't a winner, and the comments from his old boss, even from as shaky a source as Al Davis, didn't paint him as a Nobel Prize winner. The Vols hired him to recruit and to energize. The first area is full of flakiness -- few folks who have anything to do with recruiting can be trusted. And Kiffin succeeded in getting the Vols and their fans juiced about the future, then erased it all by leaving after 13-plus months. No one predicted Kiffin's departure in this fashion. Maybe we should have known better.

Hayes: No program deserves this kind of treatment. Kiffin says USC is his dream job, and you can't fault a guy for following his heart. There's no good way for that to happen. But once he did, the Tennessee nation felt the scorched earth policy Kiffin's staff used during recruiting: Loyalty is a one-way street. Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron was calling midterm recruits and telling them not to enroll at UT and follow the staff to USC. Is it legal? Of course. Is it dirty and unseemly? You better believe it. Now Tennessee is on the short end of Insane Lane.

Second down: What should Kiffin's No. 1 priority be to keep the USC program among the elite?

Curtis: Recruit. No more or less. There's nothing to unify, nothing to rebuild, no tradition to which to return. Even with the rough losses to Oregon and Stanford in the second half of last season, the Trojans remain a viable contender for the 2010 Pac-10 championship. Kiffin already is assembling a top-notch coaching staff. If USC can add a few more players, it will stay healthy as a program and start the season in the nation's top 15 or 20. Keeping the wavering recruits is key, and news that star receiver Kyle Prater will stick to his Trojans commitment could be a great sign for Kiffin's first task.

Hayes: Keep recruiting and landing elite players. There's little doubt Kiffin knows how to sell a program; he did it at both USC (as an assistant) and Tennessee. But at some point, Kiffin has to prove he can develop players and make smart game-day decisions. He did a terrific job with Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton this fall and had a game plan that nearly beat national champion Alabama. But when your best win is a loss to the Tide or a victory over the worst Georgia team since Ray Goff roamed the sidelines, you haven't proved much.

Third down: Of all the coaching craziness this offseason -- Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, USC, Tennessee, three BCS coaches fired for alleged abuse -- which program has taken the biggest step back and which one has taken the biggest step forward?

Curtis: For now, Tennessee has taken the largest step back. That could change, though, depending on whom the Vols hire. For all of Kiffin's flaws, he had UT improving as much as any team in the SEC East (by a nose over the Gators). Now, the program sits in disarray three weeks before national signing day. The Vols will never collapse, but the climb gets much steeper.

For step forward, maybe Florida State. Jimbo Fisher and his new staff enjoyed a strong late recruiting run to restock a roster that needs help almost everywhere. It won't benefit from instability at Florida as much as some figured. But the 'Noles look on their way to ruling the ACC Atlantic again.

Hayes: Step back: Texas Tech. I like the Tommy Tuberville hire, with one caveat: Tubs will use a pass-happy offense similar to what former coach Mike Leach used. The last time he tried that, it got him fired from Auburn. You are what you are, Tubs. Run the ball and play defense -- the same things that made you so successful at Auburn. Nebraska made a quick turnaround in the Big 12 under Bo Pelini doing just that.

Step forward: Notre Dame. There was just too much negativity surrounding the program under former coach Charlie Weis. How could any coach survive in that mess? Kelly, believe it or not, isn't that far from Weis in terms of wanting things his way. He is more media savvy, but make no mistake, there's a reason they called it the BK Way at Cincy. He has complete control and demands perfection, and it usually translates to championships.

Fourth down: Who should Tennessee hire?

Curtis: Mike Leach. Let's cap the craziest turn of the coaching carousel with Coach Eccentric taking over a program in desperate need of a jolt. Then again, maybe it could get wilder. Joe Paterno? Bill Belichick? Matt Hayes? Nothing would surprise me this offseason. Phil Fulmer, Phase II, doesn't seem like a great idea. UT administrators probably will go the safe route and tap a winner and a worker with a solid reputation throughout the game. Skip Holtz fits that description better than anybody with a shot to take the job. But Leach would keep the Vols competitive, has the name and fame to recruit coast-to-coast and would add even more pizzazz to a spicy SEC.

Hayes: Here's the plan for UT: Hire Fulmer to come in and settle the fractured masses, working as a bridge to the next coach. Then go hire Boise State offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, who at 32 is one of the game's best offensive minds. Make Harsin coach-in-waiting and let him learn about Tennessee under the guy who knows it better than anyone. In 2011, Harsin becomes head coach and Fulmer becomes athletic director. Make it very clear in everyone's contract.

Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.

Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.

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