Since taking over as head coach there has been no college football program who has seen more assistant coaches shuffled in and out than the one run by Alabama’s Nick Saban. Within those who are either let go or move on, there have instances of some departures ending a bit roughly.
One of those was when former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin abruptly left the team to coach Florida Atlantic weeks before the 2017 national championship game.
No specific reasoning was named as to what really went down between the two, but surprisingly enough Kiffin has done nothing but praise Saban and Alabama for his time within the program and the teams that have come after.
This Saturday will be Kiffin’s first chance to play against Saban as the head coach of Ole Miss, and during his press conference, he had a few more positive things to say about this year’s version of the Crimson Tide.
Even going as far as saying it’s Saban’s best team ever.
“We’ll have our hands full,” said Kiffin during his Monday press conference. “This is probably the best team coach (Saban) has had, as far as being balanced and not having any holes anywhere.”
To deem this year’s Alabama team the best team Saban has ever had is a bit of a stretch judging how it has only played two games so far. But the team has shown signs of being balanced on both sides of the ball which is something Saban has been searching for since last season.
Alabama is currently ranked in the top 30 nationally in both total offense and defense so far this season which garners the praise of well-played football on both sides of the ball.
Although Kiffin’s comments will likely be put in the bin of “coach speech”, or “rat poison”, the Crimson Tide are still amongst the best teams in the country and a favorite to make a run at the national championship.
“No offense to Clemson, but this is the No. 1 team in the nation coming in,” said Kiffin. “They’re doing it in the SEC so it’s harder.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
