Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin had his hands up in praise of legendary college football coach Nick Saban after he came across one revelation from the Alabama Crimson Tide following their 2015 national championship win.
After Alabama’s 45–40 win over Clemson in the 2015 national title game, Saban didn’t celebrate. Instead, he gathered his staff at 7:30 the next morning. During an interaction on The Oven, Kiffin gave an insight into the championship mindset of Saban, even after winning it all.
“I’m like, what are we meeting on at 7.30 the next morning? He’s like, we’re behind, you know, because we won the championship,” Kiffin said. “Everybody else was recruiting and we’re behind. And I was like, well, what are we doing? But now I look back and be like, that’s why he is what he is. That’s why he was so great. Because it was like the standard never changed, no matter what.”
View this post on Instagram
Kiffin, who is worth $14 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), revealed that Saban didn’t want anyone to catch the “relief syndrome” after winning the national title.
“And then that took me some time to understand too,” Kiffin added. “Like when you, when we were winning and playing really well and coaching really well, he was harder on you because he didn’t want you to have relief syndrome, you know, like, oh man, we’ve made it.”
Kiffin, who was with Alabama at the time as their offensive coordinator, reshared the post on his Instagram, hailing Saban in a one-word reaction:
“GOAT.”
It is that championship mindset of Saban that led him to seven national titles, six with Alabama and one with LSU.
Lane Kiffin Shares Complicated History With Nick Saban And Alabama
While Lane Kiffin may be all praise for Nick Saban but he had a controversial exit from Nick Saban’s Alabama.
Kiffin served as Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014 to 2016. His working relationship famously ended on rocky terms. Just days before the 2016 national title game against Clemson, Saban fired Kiffin.
Kiffin reportedly felt isolated in Tuscaloosa, particularly not liking 7:30 am for staff meetings.
At the time, Kiffin had already accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic. Thus, many saw his departure as a rough one. However, with Saban’s latest account, it seems that they may not have liked each other back then, but the mutual respect is still there.
Entering 2025, things have changed a lot. Saban has retired and has got into broadcasting. Meanwhile, Kiffin has become the head coach of Ole Miss in the SEC and is hopeful of taking them to the playoffs next season.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball.
