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Is this the last season at the helm of the Alabama Crimson Tide for legendary coach Nick Saban?
Ole Miss head coach and former Saban assistant Lane Kiffin sure seems to believe it’s a possibility.
Kiffin, who squares off with Saban and the Tide on Saturday, said that it could be the final chance he has to coach against his former protege.
“We’re excited for this opportunity today and you never know how many more you’ve got. Maybe this is our last time,” Lane Kiffin said about coaching against Saban while making an appearance on the SEC Network on Saturday morning.
Now, is Kiffin just trolling? Probably.
But it’s also not inconceivable!
Saban is 71 years old and will be 72 in October (on Halloween, to be specfic). The Crimson Tide appear to have been passed by Georgia and another former protege, Kirby Smart, as the nation’s premier program.
Alabama’s quarterback situation looks bleak, to say the best. And who knows how much longer Saban plans to stick around?
Kiffin has worked all week to unsettle Saban and Alabama, starting last Sunday when he hinted at another massive coaching change.
“Our guys watching the TV copy schematical in this last game, it certainly seems like T-Rob’s now calling the defense,” Kiffin said, suggesting that Travaris Robinson had taken over for Kevin Steele as the Tide’s defensive coordinator. “We played him before at South Carolina, so we’re preparing accordingly, you know, for him calling the defense. He’s done a good job too. And they’ve got really good players.”
“I was asked the question, ‘What’s it like going against Steele’s defense?’ I wasn’t trying to start this big thing. We saw things on TV copy just where it was different,” Kiffin later said. “First off, of what the play looked like — the calls and stuff. And so we looked into that further. And then it ain’t no secret that people in these buildings know each other, so we obviously got some information that way, too.”
Saban denied the allegation. He even went as far as to reaffirm Steele’s role.
But it’s clear Kiffin knows how to get under the skin of his old boss.