GAINESVILLE — Lane Kiffin appeared destined to become Florida’s next coach once the school moved on from Billy Napier.
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The fit seemed natural.
Kiffin had deep ties to the Sunshine State and a personal connection to the Florida program. If any coach in college football resembled Steve Spurrier, it was the visor-wearing, quick-witted man behind high-scoring teams at Ole Miss.
Instead, Kiffin opted to leave Oxford for rival LSU.
Speaking Tuesday at SEC Spring Meetings, Kiffin said many factors influenced his decision to head to Baton Rouge.
“There was a lot that went into it, a lot of conversations and [Florida] is an amazing program with great history,” he said. “Just weighing everything out I made a decision.”
Kiffin’s choice stung Gator Nation.
By then, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin had shifted his focus to Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, who became the Gators coach Nov. 30 — the same day LSU announced Kiffin would lead he Tigers.
“It really was not about them it was about LSU, how it fit, the timing of everything,” Kiffin explained. “So it really wasn’t about the other program. It was specifically about LSU.”
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Coaching Florida long appeared to be part of Kiffin’s future.
His father, Monte, was the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Bucs (1996-2008) during the franchise’s hey-day, while Lane Kiffin was getting into coaching at Fresno State.
Kiffin married Layla Reaves, a UF graduate and daughter of Gators record-setting quarterback John Reaves. The couple’s first date was a game in the Swamp.
Kiffin’s Spurrier-like ability to generate offensive fireworks while needling opponents made him especially appealing to Florida fans eager for a splash hire.
When he chose LSU, the backlash was unsurprisingly swift.
“You are not going to please everybody in decisions and that’s impossible,” Kiffin said. “Obviously it played out and we went through all kind of different things, options. We made the decision for the next chapter.”
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]