Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin likes to poke fun at his former boss, Alabama coach Nick Saban, and he jumped on the opportunity to do it again when he was asked about the vacant Auburn head coach job.
Auburn announced Sunday that it fired coach Gus Malzahn, and the speculation about his possible replacement includes Kiffin.
So Monday, Kiffin — who’s in his first season with Ole Miss and was Alabama’s offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016 — was asked about the possibility of being offered the job or if he even pays attention to rumors about big coaching jobs like that. Kiffin initially dismissed the idea, saying he’s had “no conversations [or] anything like that” about the head coach vacancy.
But he just couldn’t help himself and took a shot at Saban, referencing a famous quote of his from his time with the Miami Dolphins in 2006.
Lane Kiffin says there’s been no discussions to replace Gus Malzahn at Auburn.
Then he trolls Nick Saban: “I will not be the head coach at Alabama. So stop asking me.” pic.twitter.com/0Sotvr59S7
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) December 14, 2020
Kiffin said:
“I wanted to say what I learned from my mentor. If you guys are going to keep asking this, I’m going to have to tell you: I will not be the head coach at Alabama. OK? So stop asking me.
“I wasn’t supposed to say that, but I just had to.”
Back when Saban was still with the Dolphins, he was repeatedly denying any interest in taking the Alabama job.
“I guess I have to say it,” Saban said on December 21, 2006. “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” And just days later, Saban, obviously, became Alabama’s head coach.
Whether it’s doing an impression of Saban, making jokes on Twitter or referencing his famous quotes — rat poison, anyone? — Kiffin certainly seems to have a good time teasing his old boss.
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