It’s Lane Kiffin’s time to gloat.
Kiffin has enjoyed a one-season renaissance at Florida Atlantic, revitalizing his career at the Conference USA school, and is mocking the difficult situations his former SEC employers find themselves in.
Kiffin has been mentioned as a potential candidate to return to Tennessee as the school is getting skewered for its awful handling of the hiring and un-hiring of Greg Schiano this week. A CBS Sports story described Kiffin as “waiting by the phone” with the job still open, which he was quick to dispute.
“Not waiting at all! Getting this team ready to win its 9th straight against a great north Texas team,” Kiffin said, referencing Saturday’s Conference USA Championship game.
He then later chimed in “great drop kick,” quote-tweeting a reference to fans chanting “Fire [Tennessee athletic director] John Currie” during WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.”
Kiffin bolted Tennessee for USC after one season in 2010, then was unceremoniously fired by the Trojans at the start of a fourth disappointing season. Kiffin then was hired by Nick Saban as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, but left for Florida Atlantic before the Crimson Tide’s national title defeat by Clemson.
It seemed to be an acrimonious exit, as Saban insisted Kiffin not be a part of the staff for the title game. Kiffin has enjoyed needling Saban on social media since and took his latest shot Tuesday.
The Crimson Tide’s loss to Auburn on Saturday knocked them out of the SEC Championship game and into the position of hoping the committee hands them a spot in the college football playoff — which Saban has begun campaigning for. When a Twitter user posted a disputed Saban quote, which portrayed him taking the opposite position last year, Kiffin couldn’t resist.
Saban ripped the media early this season, comparing praise for his team to “rat poison.”