Lane Kiffin apologizes for motivating Kirby Smart to finally beat Alabama

Lane Kiffin admitted to inspiring Kirby Smart to finally beat Alabama and Nick Saban.

On Father’s Day, Lane Kiffin accepted the fact he played a huge part in Kirby Smart finally beating Nick Saban and the juggernaut Alabama Crimson Tide.

It is cool because Saban has been most college coaches’ daddy for decades now. Not until Jimbo Fisher got him good down in College Station had a protege even beaten his mentor. After falling yet again to his former father in Atlanta, Smart and his Georgia Bulldogs got smart and handed the Crimson Tide a big, ole fat L in the only game that mattered last year: The national championship.

Props to Kiffin for showing humility and self-awareness here, while also refusing to ever change.

Lane Kiffin apologizes for motivation Kirby Smart to finally beat Nick Saban

Now that Fisher and Smart showed everyone how it is done, Kiffin might have next when it comes to beating Saban. His Ole Miss Rebels have played Alabama close in several meetings over the last decade and change, including a pair of victories when Hugh Freeze was calling the shots in Oxford. With this year’s annual meeting at Vaught-Hemingway, you never know about the Ole Lane Train…

While Ole Miss is not on Alabama and Georgia’s level, or recruiting on Texas A&M’s level because Ross Bjork does not work for them any more, the Rebels could be a sneaky-good team this year, despite losing Matt Corral to the NFL. Kiffin did land two huge transfers by way of the portal in former USC starting quarterback Jaxson Dart and former TCU starting running back Zach Evans.

Ole Miss may have won 10 games a season ago and reached a New Year’s Six bowl before bowing out to Baylor in New Orleans. However, if you choose to sleep on Kiffin’s Ole Miss squad this fall, only do so at your own peril. The man has the power to convince head coaches to beat other head coaches. Kiffin is capable of bringing all of Knoxville to its knees, one bottle of mustard at a time.

Indisputably, Kiffin is on the Mount Rushmore of the best things to ever happen to college football.

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