Florida Atlantic to hire Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin at head coach

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala.– The Lane Kiffin sweepstakes is over. After four teams had its hand in wanting to acquire the sought after offensive mind, Florida Atlantic was the one that swayed Kiffin the most.

Per ESPN’s Brett McMurphy and Chris Lowe, he will be the Owls’ new head coach.

Kiffin will replace Charlie Partridge, who finished 3-9 this season.

Florida Atlantic averaged 26.4 points and 398.3 yards per game, while its quarterback play totaled 13 interception to nine touchdowns. The Lincoln, Neb., native will inherit a talented roster, including two running backs in Devin Singletary (1,016 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Gregory Howell ( 833 yards, 13 touchdowns) that have over 10 rushing touchdowns each. Alabama has recruited the Florida area well, signing the likes of Terrence Cody, Trent Richardson, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley and Eddie Jackson.

Kiffin will look to keep all the in-state talent at his disposal, as he’s given a fourth chance to run the show.

At Tuscaloosa, he’s produced an offense that has claimed three Southeastern Conference champions at quarterback. Kiffin’s mentored two 3,000-yard passers, a 2,000-yard rusher, two 1,000-yard receivers, a Heisman winner, a Biletnikoff Award winner and two SEC Offensive Player of the Year recipients.

He’s going after a second College Football Playoff national title with the Crimson Tide, which begins with a semifinal game against Washington on Dec. 31 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.