(editor’s note: V,B’s PB6 dropping some knowledge)

Other than the obvious influence of his father, legendary NFL coach Monte Kiffin, Lane Kiffin’s primary mentor has been USC Head Coach, Pete Carroll. From what Tennessee fans have witnessed since his hiring, it appears that Kiffin has learned the lessons well.

As happens in the real world, when Kiffin landed the job as an offensive assistant at USC he was undoubtedly assisted by Monte Kiffin’s connection to Pete Carroll. While it may have helped to get his foot in the door at USC, no promises of future success were made. It was either sink or swim in the ocean that is USC football. Detractors of Lane Kiffin point to him as having little substance other than being Monte’s son. In rebuttal, I ask how can a young coach proceed from an assistant coach to co-offensive coordinator on a national championship team, to the youngest head coach in the modern era of the NFL (albeit for the wackiest franchise), to a D1 head coach by the age of 33 unless he has something special.

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