BOCA RATON, Fla. – Lane Kiffin has a chance to help Alabama get to 15 wins this season. And then he’s going to take the reins of a program that has won 15 games in the last four years.
Florida Atlantic and Kiffin have agreed in principle on a deal that will make him the school’s next head coach. Alabama coach Nick Saban – Kiffin’s soon-to-be-former boss – lauded the Owls’ move, and said Kiffin will remain with the undefeated and top-ranked Crimson Tide as their offensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff.
“FAU has selected someone that’s going to do a great job for them,” Saban said in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at a news conference to promote the upcoming Peach Bowl.
Saban was the first person to publicly announce the move; FAU and Kiffin remained mostly silent Monday, even after the news broke. A person with direct knowledge of the talks between Kiffin and the Owls told The Associated Press that he agreed to a five-year contract, speaking condition of anonymity because neither side had discussed terms.
FAU called a Tuesday morning news conference to announce the hire.