Following a three-year stint as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Alabama (2014-16), Lane Kiffin became Florida Atlantic’s head coach from 2017-19.
Kiffin hired Kendal Briles as his offensive coordinator in 2017.
Briles came to Florida Atlantic from Baylor where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for his father Art Briles.
Art Briles served as Baylor’s head coach from 2008-15 and fielded a potent veer and shoot offense featuring wide splits, a vertical passing game and a dominating run game.
During Kiffin’s time at Alabama he studied Briles’ offense at Baylor. The former Tennessee and USC head coach was ready to implement the scheme into his next program when he became a head coach again.
Kiffin has since implemented it with Briles at FAU and now Jeff Lebby as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss. Lebby served in various capacities under his father-in-law Briles at Baylor from 2008-15.
Now with Lebby at Ole Miss, Briles at Arkansas as offensive coordinator, and Heupel at Tennessee executing Baylor’s scheme after studying it, the Rebels, Razorbacks and Vols have the three most efficient offenses in the SEC and nationally.
“I saw it very close watching the Washington-Baylor bowl game that was in the 60s,” Kiffin told Vols Wire on the SEC teleconference Wednesday. “I just was kind of enamored with it for awhile and started to study some of it and use some it at Alabama. I just said, ‘Alright, if I get a head job again, this is what I want to do’.
“It really is amazing — the system — and credit to Art Briles because all three of those teams are the top rushing teams in the country. You look at the SEC, where some people listening to us are saying, are great rushing teams, and they’re really not. I give a ton of credit to Art Briles.”
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