Lane Kiffin’s gone, and the Big Orange is mournin’
So how do you feel now, Vol fans? Your brash young coach is no longer your coach at all. The guy you defended whenever he committed one of his secondary violations, which was hourly; the guy you believed would recruit his way to the top of the SEC … well, he’s in the wind, and you’re up the creek.
This is what you get when you entrust your program to a brat. He hits town talking big, and he leaves you in a Big Orange lurch. Ten years from now — heck, 10 minutes from now — we’ll be looking on Lane Kiffin’s season in K-Town and saying, “What the heck was that?” Called Urban Meyer a cheat, choppered down on Georgia high school stadiums, smirked at every abrogation of NCAA bylaws and then … poof, he’s gone.
Like Keyser Soze. Gone so fast you wonder, “Was he here at all?”
What do you do now, Vol fans? Gonna go hire yourselves another fast talker? Jon Gruden, maybe? Gonna let your heart be broken by another guy with an eye on the escape hatch?
Say this for the guy deposed to make room for Kiffy: Phillip Fulmer was a loyal Volunteer. He won you a national title and two SEC championships and never ran off to California or Connecticut or anywhere in between. He wasn’t glib and goodness knows he wasn’t sleek, but by gosh he was a Vol. That orange jersey meant everything to him. (Heck, he wore the thing.) Know what it meant to Kiffin? A way back to L.A.
Apart from signing a few players and making a slew of enemies and beating Georgia by 26 points, what exactly did Kiffin do? His one and only team finished 7-6. And if you were looking for his second team to topple a Tebow-less (and perhaps Urban-less) Florida, you can forget it. There’ll be no second team. Just another coaching search, another new man, another season of transition. Only this time — surely — at lower volume.
I feel for you, Vol fans. You gave your hearts to the brat, and he tore them out and stomped those suckers flat. (Apologies to Lewis Grizzard.) He’s gone to Southern Cal with his lovely wife and his professorial dad and his henchman Ed Orgeron. And you’re sitting at home in Caryville and Oak Ridge and Sewanee and Chattanooga weeping tears of rejection.
Weep not, I say. Or at least not for long. For all the turmoil you’re about to undergo, yours is the luckier program. You’ll find yourselves a coach and go forward and try to forget this ever happened. The Trojans, meanwhile, have traded the NCAA scrutiny left in Pete Carroll’s wake for the heavier dose sure to come under Kiffy and Eddie O. And here’s the darnedest part: Nobody is yet sure if Kiffin the Younger can coach a lick. (Career record: 12-21.)
You can do better than him, Vol fans. You knew as much all along, but you let yourselves be charmed by glitz and brass and promises now rendered as empty as the West Town Mall on a day when the Vols are playing. Deep down you’ve known all along this would never work. Deep down you knew the proud program of Cafego and Atkins and White and Holloway and Majors and Gen. Neyland was never a place for a brat.
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1,115 comments Add your comment
Vol
January 12th, 2010
10:37 pm
You are a douche
willie martinez
January 12th, 2010
10:37 pm
i never met the guy but have all his major books. he was one heck of a writer.
Billy
January 12th, 2010
10:37 pm
The LANE TRAIN just jumped the tracks. I hate to say it, but the VOLS are better off in the long run.. GO DAWGS!!!!
bluedevil
January 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOO! Coach Cut…please don’t leave Durham!
BAMA STAN
January 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
13 NATIONAL TITLES – 22 SEC TITLES!!!
Vols much better off in the long run.
As much as I dislike Tennessee – I have always respected the University and their great fans. I have NEVER had any issues in Knoxville or Birmingham during our great rival games.
Kind of laughing right now – but sad to see and SEC power go through this.
Tennessee made a big mistake hiring this BRAT. Glad he is out of the SEC.
To the Vol fans out there – this is a good day for you – not a bad day.
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!
Mark Bradley
January 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
Don’t even ask, Gen. Neyland. You wouldn’t recognize what has become of college football.
Vince Dooley
January 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
Doesn’t matter who Tenn gets, UGA needs to focus on catching up on National Championships to those dead gum Techies…..we’ll never be as good as them !
CommandoDawg
January 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
IS IT TIME TO START PAYING A CASH STIPEND TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS?
Major college programs make so much money with “free” labor from the players, that they are now paying real money like it was monopoly money to head coaches and assistant coaches. Tennessee helped start the boom in assistant salaries last year. In a day or two we will find the actual salaries that convinced the Kiffens, Orgeson and Chow to say yes in a manner of hours, but you can guess that all of those salaries were substantial increases on salaries that were already high. Winning is going to be expected for large salaries and with the salary escalation now including the assistants, there are going to be more coaches tempted to cheat to get or keep a high salary. Since there probably is no way to cap coaches salaries, maybe all schools need to pay the same flat rate to all college football players. There will be less money to pay outrageous salaries to coaches and players that need to stay in college won’t feel they have to try to go to the NFL early to support their family.
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 12th, 2010
10:38 pm
SABAN WILL LIKELY ABANDON BAMA, THAT WHAT HE SAID TO SMART. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHA
Fredo
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
Mark, would phat Phil return to Tennessee if asked?
Since Vince
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
What is my buddy Jim Doannan as in Doans pills thinking about all of this ?
Doug Dickey
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
fourth and dumb. i know, that was against fla.
It's d-o-g not d-a-w-g
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
For all of you asking where the Vol fans are, here I am. Our program is much bigger than this guy and we will be back. Oh yeah, I almost forgot….45-17.
TBAlt
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
The funniest thing about it all, is that Al Davis told them (UT) so.
Matthew
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
Will the Vols get a headcoach before national signing day?
King Donko of Punchstania
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
GatorNation- How’s the rumor going down in Gainesville about Urban Meyer and his affair with a 23 year old UF student. Wait…isn’t Tebow 23? Coincidence????
DILLIGAF
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
Kiffin to USC? Hahahaha…man, I think I’m going to write a pilot for a new college football soap opera and call it “As The Stomch Turns”.
Yeah, sit back and enjoy the show. The next Jim Mora. In a shorter time frame.
Vince Dooley
January 12th, 2010
10:39 pm
I just received a fax from a knoxville area code……..this is unusual…its past my beadtime??????
different Jack?
January 12th, 2010
10:40 pm
Whoa! There is only room for one “Jack” on here, buddy.
Shelley Meyer
January 12th, 2010
10:40 pm
That’s not my Urban at the game….It’s his OOB Projection Urban….Walks and kind of talks like him, but if you look closely he’s like a hologram.
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 12th, 2010
10:40 pm
KIFFIN INJECTED SOME FUN TO FOOTBALL DESPITE HIS ANTICS. HE MADE THE VOLS FUNNY. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2010
10:40 pm
Just as I thought Mark. College football is all about the dollars now.
Mrs. Neyland sends her best.
Jed Clampett
January 12th, 2010
10:40 pm
So we loaded up the truck and head to Beverly,Hills that is swimming pool,movie stars
Hurt Curbstreet
January 12th, 2010
10:40 pm
Gen Neyland – I feel badly for you guys. This is a crappy time for that to happen.
UGA Letterman
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
Regardless of your loyalty, this is a horrible example of selfishness. The sheer volume of people that Kiffin’s decision will negatively impact is astounding….the players, coaches, other athletes in UT programs, fan base, recruits.
I’m a UGA fan and I feel pain from his decision.
Rest assured, he will pay dearly for this decision.
toofless in tennerssee
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
This is so delightful! I bet all the girls from tennerssee spit brewton snuff all over the front of their shirts when they saw this!! Couldn’t have happened to an uglier bunch!! Go to he11 tennerssee, you bunch of chumps!!! Bwwaaahhhaaa!!
Baba O'Riley
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
King Donko- I’m no Gator fan, but the accusations you are making are trash.
Stink Bomb Mark
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
Georgia is second rate program that nobody wants to work for because CMR is dumb and not smart like Kirby. Lane Kiffen is a great coach and is smart to go to USC becuase he will prosper in the land of fruits and nuts and will build a team that is much better than Georgia will ever be.
Gridiron Gator
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
Somewhere in Cali, a crazy old man is smiling…AL DAVIS…YOU WERE RIGHT!! TENNESSEE FANS…YOU JUST GOT PUNKED BY THE PUNK!!!!!!!!!
haywood...
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
mark,
are you going to send kiffin a thank you note for all of
the bonus blog hits?
ReidAdair
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
When I heard this earlier, I couldn’t believe it. What on Earth is Mike Garrett thinking? Seriously?
USC couldn’t even interview anyone else?!?!?!?!?
GT STILL IS A 4TH RATE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
MEYER WILL LIKELY BE NEXT TO ANNOUNCE THAT HIS DOCTORS RECOMMENDED THAT HE REALLY RETIRES IF DOES NOT LIKE TO END UP 6FT UNDER THE GROUND.
Mark Bradley
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
ESPN is reporting that Urban Meyer, asked for a comment on Kiffin’s depature, just said, “No.”
dawghater
January 12th, 2010
10:41 pm
Bradley, sounds like a lot of stuff from the jacka** loser you are. You bulldawg fans need to be glad Sir Bowden hand picked his successor at Free Shoes U or your precious Mark Richt would bail on Athens for MUCH better grounds. You dawg fans are only running your mouths because you can’t do it on the field.
Pit bull
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
This just in,,, from Kiffen, “hey recuites, you HICKS believed my whole spill, don’t come crying to me suckers!
Technophobia
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
Wow, I knew the Vols would eventually get burned by that guy one way or another, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. Gotta believe Cutcliffe will be their first choice too. Man the plot thickens.
Fellow alcoholic
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
SOBER JOHNNY UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reality
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
The SEC just isn’t all that. And, the proof continues to pile.
rook76
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
Bobby Petrino would be a great fit at Tennessee. Go DAWGS!
scarface
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/jan/12/espn-report-kiffin-southern-cal/
hahahahahhahahah!
Chris Fowler
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
The Vol fans in the Trailer parks are steaming!
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
It appeahs to me that this young Kiffin fella has done a great, great disservice to the Volunteah Nation.
Opinion
January 12th, 2010
10:42 pm
BREAKING NEWS:
URBAN MEYER TO THE VOLS !!!! , NO WAIT……
MORE BREAKING NEWS:
URBAN MEYER DECIDES TO STAY AT FLORIDA !!!
Mark Bradley
January 12th, 2010
10:43 pm
I don’t know what Southern Cal is doing, Reid. The guy’s 12-21 and he’ll draw NCAA scrutiny the moment he lands in Los Angeles.
rook76
January 12th, 2010
10:43 pm
Then Fulmer to Arkansas
Bill
January 12th, 2010
10:43 pm
Thats funny!
BigTimeTechFan
January 12th, 2010
10:43 pm
Oh come on folks, UT fans had nothing to do with this.
Kiffin no class, they should be glad to get rid of him.
They are SEC school and will do fine with finding a head coach, in fact I always thought Jim Mora Jr would be a good collage coach, they should get him.
Kiffin press conf was funny – he so knows he did UT wrong. dudes got issues, I never liked him.
If it was in his contract that he could opt out for USC, as soon as Carroll left UT may have know it was comeing, they may be more prepared then we think.
Also remeber the RB they signed last year becuase his Grandma thought so much of Kiffin, wonder what he’s thinking now.
Since Vince
January 12th, 2010
10:43 pm
Hey Vince…. sorry lane cut out on you. He promised me he would be there in the morning to work on the house….
Dawghater
January 12th, 2010
10:43 pm
Mark,
This is where the NCAA is not taking care of the kids, fans or schools. I feel less compassionate about the school or the AD who makes these decisions, but when a coach takes his greeed and personal desire to hang out a program it should be less about money and more about program impact. A buyout is not a penalty for a school to take a coach after one year. Penalize a school taking a coach with scholarships then the game changes. Take a coach after only one year, two year or while they are under contract then the school taking the coach should pay in scholarships and those scholarships should got the school losing the coach. That changes this ridiculous game of who has the most money!
Phil Fulmer
January 12th, 2010
10:44 pm
Uhm, please pass the cornbread and sweet tea.