UT's Loss May Be Gamecocks' As Well
posted by David Cloninger, 1/13/2010 01:38:00 PM
You never shut up.”
----------- RUN DMC
So The Lane Kiffin Era ends after 14 months, 13 games, seven wins and at least six NCAA recruiting violations. I have to say I’m a little disappointed, because as much of a cannonball as that guy was, he was great for copy, even when the writer is on the beat of another school.
I have no idea why Tennessee students acted the way they did last night, rioting and screaming curses at Kiffin. Maybe in their yet-to-mature heads they can’t grasp the fact that Tennessee football under Kiffin was becoming known more for being a punchline than a knockout. It only took him a few months to publicly snipe at the heavyweight coaches of the SEC, which in turn got them all to bind with the common mission of muzzling that damned fool up on Rocky Top.
He’s gone, off to USC West for a better job, albeit one that may be in for a turbulent few years. The scuttlebutt is that Pete Carroll ditched Southern Cal before the NCAA axe was about to fall, and with Ol’ Kiffikins there to offer his own brand of, ahem, “coaching,” the NCAA may as well move a branch office to USC’s campus.
(Side note: I wonder if Kiffin’s third child, the infamous Monte Knox, will be re-named. Somehow, Monte Compton or Monte South Central doesn’t have the same ring to it.)
But you didn’t read this to hear more witty jabs at Kiffin, who’s as poison to a program as his wife is whiplash-inducing gorgeous. Here’s what the move means for South Carolina.
Trouble.
Tennessee was just getting into the slide of becoming a pick-em every year on the Gamecocks’ schedule. The Volunteers were obviously not the ones of your father, who saw Peyton and Peerless run over the SEC in the late 1990s and then saw at least a winning team in the early 2000s.
That was good for USC. The Gamecocks, with a few more years of strong recruiting and a game or two improvement every year, could get to the point where they’d be picked ahead of their customary fourth or fifth in the SEC East. Kiffin could be one of the best recruiters in the country, but he still hasn’t proven he can coach, which is why no one could look at UT and say, “That’s a future SEC champion.”
I have no doubt the Gamecocks will enjoy a short-lived run of success against UT, perhaps poaching a few recruits who were just dumped on in front of the entire nation and maybe beating the Vols next year and the year beyond. After that depends on who takes over the team.
And that’s where it gets problematic.
First off, athletic director Mike Hamilton needs to be drawn and quartered for the Kiffin fiasco. He’s the one who offered an unproven kid who was born with a red-and-pewter spoon in his mouth the sun and the stars to come to Tennessee, then somehow defended the guy when Kiffin, the propeller on his hat spinning madly, falsely accused Urban Meyer of cheating.
If Hamilton manages to stay employed, he has no choice but to hit a walk-off grand slam to win the World Series, never mind a home run. That kind of under-the-gun pressure may get a terrific coach at Tennessee, which would not be good for Tennessee’s opponents.
Early names have already put Will Muschamp on the radar and a guy who I implicitly trust because he’s from my hometown said that UT has already contacted Phillip Fulmer about being AD or coach, but not both. That’d be nice for the university, since there was no question of Fulmer’s loyalty to the school, and it would bring one of the best personalities of SEC football back to the league.
I have no doubt that Tennessee will make a great hire and eventually the Vols will return to glory. The program is too big and too powerful to stay dormant for long.
Whether it’s at USC’s expense is the problem. Even with the Papajohns.com Bowl debacle fresh in everyone’s heads, USC was looking very good for next year. Returning talent and a nice recruiting class, combined with how the rest of the division was looking, had the Gamecocks sitting in an unusual spot.
They should still be there once the summer rolls around and preseason talk heats. The question is how long will they stay. Meyer’s flip-flopping at Florida won’t change the first year A.T. (After Tebow) and if Georgia doesn’t find a quarterback, it’s in trouble. Kentucky has never been a constant concern to USC and Vanderbilt, although it’s signing a strong class, is coming off a dreadful season.
Tennessee is the only team left. While the new coach may not make that much difference in Year 1, the right new coach will have them on the upswing in Years 2-3. Considering the hiring process that put Kiffin in the coach’s office, I wouldn’t say it’d be out of the question for UT to go after another “pirate” – Mike Leach.
The Gamecocks, I presume, will wait along with everyone else in the next few days to see who UT will hire. I have a feeling that Steve Spurrier is at least a little angry at Kiffin for bolting, not because he wants the guy around, but because he’s deprived of a chance to even or top that 0-1 record he’s got against him.
The right guy at Tennessee eventually puts USC back into its familiar perch. Another Mr. Wrong opens the door a little further for the Gamecocks to squeeze through. If they’re ever going to do it, they need to start now, because this opportunity won’t last for long.
It’s why having Kiffin around was, to an opponent, comforting. He might win a few games every year, but nothing serious. Let him fire his salvos from the top of the mountain while the rest of the league crouched at the bottom, calmly getting ready for the assault as soon as Kiffin began self-destructing. It was never a question of “if.”
It is now. If Tennessee hires a great coach, when will USC begin feeling the fallout?
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“You talk too much,
You never shut up.”
----------- RUN DMC
So The Lane Kiffin Era ends after 14 months, 13 games, seven wins and at least six NCAA recruiting violations. I have to say I’m a little disappointed, because as much of a cannonball as that guy was, he was great for copy, even when the writer is on the beat of another school.
I have no idea why Tennessee students acted the way they did last night, rioting and screaming curses at Kiffin. Maybe in their yet-to-mature heads they can’t grasp the fact that Tennessee football under Kiffin was becoming known more for being a punchline than a knockout. It only took him a few months to publicly snipe at the heavyweight coaches of the SEC, which in turn got them all to bind with the common mission of muzzling that damned fool up on Rocky Top.
He’s gone, off to USC West for a better job, albeit one that may be in for a turbulent few years. The scuttlebutt is that Pete Carroll ditched Southern Cal before the NCAA axe was about to fall, and with Ol’ Kiffikins there to offer his own brand of, ahem, “coaching,” the NCAA may as well move a branch office to USC’s campus.
(Side note: I wonder if Kiffin’s third child, the infamous Monte Knox, will be re-named. Somehow, Monte Compton or Monte South Central doesn’t have the same ring to it.)
But you didn’t read this to hear more witty jabs at Kiffin, who’s as poison to a program as his wife is whiplash-inducing gorgeous. Here’s what the move means for South Carolina.
Trouble.
Tennessee was just getting into the slide of becoming a pick-em every year on the Gamecocks’ schedule. The Volunteers were obviously not the ones of your father, who saw Peyton and Peerless run over the SEC in the late 1990s and then saw at least a winning team in the early 2000s.
That was good for USC. The Gamecocks, with a few more years of strong recruiting and a game or two improvement every year, could get to the point where they’d be picked ahead of their customary fourth or fifth in the SEC East. Kiffin could be one of the best recruiters in the country, but he still hasn’t proven he can coach, which is why no one could look at UT and say, “That’s a future SEC champion.”
I have no doubt the Gamecocks will enjoy a short-lived run of success against UT, perhaps poaching a few recruits who were just dumped on in front of the entire nation and maybe beating the Vols next year and the year beyond. After that depends on who takes over the team.
And that’s where it gets problematic.
First off, athletic director Mike Hamilton needs to be drawn and quartered for the Kiffin fiasco. He’s the one who offered an unproven kid who was born with a red-and-pewter spoon in his mouth the sun and the stars to come to Tennessee, then somehow defended the guy when Kiffin, the propeller on his hat spinning madly, falsely accused Urban Meyer of cheating.
If Hamilton manages to stay employed, he has no choice but to hit a walk-off grand slam to win the World Series, never mind a home run. That kind of under-the-gun pressure may get a terrific coach at Tennessee, which would not be good for Tennessee’s opponents.
Early names have already put Will Muschamp on the radar and a guy who I implicitly trust because he’s from my hometown said that UT has already contacted Phillip Fulmer about being AD or coach, but not both. That’d be nice for the university, since there was no question of Fulmer’s loyalty to the school, and it would bring one of the best personalities of SEC football back to the league.
I have no doubt that Tennessee will make a great hire and eventually the Vols will return to glory. The program is too big and too powerful to stay dormant for long.
Whether it’s at USC’s expense is the problem. Even with the Papajohns.com Bowl debacle fresh in everyone’s heads, USC was looking very good for next year. Returning talent and a nice recruiting class, combined with how the rest of the division was looking, had the Gamecocks sitting in an unusual spot.
They should still be there once the summer rolls around and preseason talk heats. The question is how long will they stay. Meyer’s flip-flopping at Florida won’t change the first year A.T. (After Tebow) and if Georgia doesn’t find a quarterback, it’s in trouble. Kentucky has never been a constant concern to USC and Vanderbilt, although it’s signing a strong class, is coming off a dreadful season.
Tennessee is the only team left. While the new coach may not make that much difference in Year 1, the right new coach will have them on the upswing in Years 2-3. Considering the hiring process that put Kiffin in the coach’s office, I wouldn’t say it’d be out of the question for UT to go after another “pirate” – Mike Leach.
The Gamecocks, I presume, will wait along with everyone else in the next few days to see who UT will hire. I have a feeling that Steve Spurrier is at least a little angry at Kiffin for bolting, not because he wants the guy around, but because he’s deprived of a chance to even or top that 0-1 record he’s got against him.
The right guy at Tennessee eventually puts USC back into its familiar perch. Another Mr. Wrong opens the door a little further for the Gamecocks to squeeze through. If they’re ever going to do it, they need to start now, because this opportunity won’t last for long.
It’s why having Kiffin around was, to an opponent, comforting. He might win a few games every year, but nothing serious. Let him fire his salvos from the top of the mountain while the rest of the league crouched at the bottom, calmly getting ready for the assault as soon as Kiffin began self-destructing. It was never a question of “if.”
It is now. If Tennessee hires a great coach, when will USC begin feeling the fallout?
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David Cloninger. David is a full-time staff writer for GamecockCentral, and covers Gamecock football, men's basketball, baseball and recruiting. He may be reached by email at david(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.