Former Alabama Star Puts Lane Kiffin on Blast in Bold Statement

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Lane Kiffin has never had much trouble making headlines.

Whether it has been because of his offensive brilliance, his social media presence, his coaching moves or the controversy that seems to follow him from one program to another, Kiffin has spent much of his career as one of the most polarizing figures in college football.

But former Alabama running back Damien Harris may have delivered one of the strongest assessments of Kiffin yet.

“I’m tired of talking about a guy who simply just doesn’t care about anything but himself,” Harris said while discussing Kiffin on CBS Sports.

That is a strong statement.

It becomes even stronger when you consider who said it. Harris isn’t just another analyst sitting behind a desk offering an opinion about Lane Kiffin from afar. He actually played for him.

Harris arrived at Alabama in 2015 as one of the most highly regarded running backs in the country and spent his first two seasons with Kiffin serving as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator. Harris was there during Alabama’s 2015 national championship run. He was there in 2016 when Alabama went undefeated during the regular season and returned to the national championship game.

He saw Kiffin inside the building. He saw him in meetings. He saw him at practice. He saw how he interacted with players and coaches. So when Harris says something that blunt about his former offensive coordinator, I think it carries a little more weight than the average criticism.

And frankly, it speaks to the complicated legacy of Lane Kiffin.

Because there are really two conversations that have to be had about him.

The first is about Lane Kiffin the football coach. The second is about Lane Kiffin and everything that seems to come with him.

Nobody should rewrite history when it comes to what Kiffin accomplished at Alabama.

He helped change Alabama football.

Nick Saban brought Kiffin to Tuscaloosa ahead of the 2014 season at a time when college football offenses were changing rapidly. Alabama had already been incredibly successful playing a physical, pro-style brand of football, but Saban recognized that the sport was evolving. Kiffin helped Alabama evolve with it.

Blake Sims became one of the most productive quarterbacks in the SEC in 2014. Jake Coker helped Alabama win a national championship in 2015. Jalen Hurts became the first true freshman quarterback to start for Alabama under Saban in 2016 and helped lead the Crimson Tide to another SEC championship and national title appearance.

Kiffin helped modernize Alabama’s offense and deserves credit for it. Even Kiffin has spoken over the years about how important his time under Saban was to his career. During his Alabama tenure, he said he viewed the opportunity as a chance to learn from one of the greatest coaches in college football history.

There is absolutely no question in my mind that Lane Kiffin is one of the best offensive minds in college football.

He sees offense differently. He understands matchups. He understands quarterbacks. He has consistently found ways to build explosive offenses around the talent available to him rather than forcing players into one rigid system.

That has been true at Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss and now LSU. But talent has never really been the question with Lane Kiffin.

The questions surrounding him have almost always been about everything else.

Kiffin left Tennessee after just one season to take the USC job. His USC tenure eventually ended with one of the most famous firings in college football history. He rebuilt his coaching reputation under Saban at Alabama, became the head coach at Florida Atlantic and eventually turned Ole Miss into one of the best programs in the SEC.

Then came another controversial exit.

After building Ole Miss into a College Football Playoff program, Kiffin left Oxford for SEC West rival LSU and signed a massive contract reportedly worth $91 million. The decision created enormous anger among Ole Miss fans, players and supporters who felt Kiffin walked away from something special he had helped build.

And now, less than a year later, Kiffin is once again at the center of one of the biggest controversies in college football.

LSU has attempted to bring former professional players back into the college game after they were released from NFL teams, creating a legal and ethical fight involving the NCAA, SEC and other programs. One of those players is former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright. Wright spent time with NFL teams before LSU pursued an avenue that could allow him to return to college football. The situation drew strong criticism from Harris before his latest comments about Kiffin.

“I think that this is embarrassing,” Harris previously said while discussing Wright potentially returning to college.

Harris questioned what the situation said about competition and whether NFL franchises would be comfortable evaluating players who had already gone through the professional process before returning to college.

Harris certainly isn’t alone in criticizing what LSU and Kiffin are attempting to do.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has called the idea of college teams adding players released from NFL camps “embarrassing,” while Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has also raised concerns about what it means for the players already inside a college program who spent the entire offseason preparing for their opportunities.

And that is where Harris’ latest statement hits.

“I’m tired of talking about a guy who simply just doesn’t care about anything but himself.”

Again, those are Harris’ words.

But they bring up a question that has followed Kiffin throughout his career:

At what point does ambition become selfishness?

There is nothing wrong with ambition. There is nothing wrong with wanting the better job. There is nothing wrong with trying to win championships. College football coaches leave programs all the time. Players transfer. Assistants take promotions. Athletic directors change schools.

That is part of the business.

But coaches also spend every day telling young men about commitment.

They talk about loyalty. They talk about accountability. They talk about putting the team above yourself. They talk about finishing what you start. They talk about doing things the right way even when the easier choice is available.

So I think it is fair for people to ask whether coaches should be held to some of those same standards.

Kiffin is certainly not the only coach who has left a school for another opportunity. He won’t be the last. But there is a reason his moves seem to create stronger reactions than most.

Maybe it is because there is always something with Lane Kiffin.

Always another headline. Always another controversy. Always another boundary being pushed. Always another conversation where the subject somehow becomes Lane Kiffin. And perhaps that is what Harris is frustrated with.

There is also something uniquely interesting about hearing this criticism from an Alabama player. Harris was developed inside a program where Nick Saban preached the exact opposite philosophy.

Saban’s entire Process was built around players focusing on the task in front of them instead of individual attention.

Do your job.

Control what you can control.

Don’t worry about the scoreboard. Don’t worry about praise. Don’t worry about criticism. Don’t make yourself bigger than the team.

Harris lived that culture for four years at Alabama. He won two national championships. He rushed for more than 3,000 yards. He played on teams loaded with future NFL players, yet Alabama’s culture under Saban constantly reinforced the message that no individual was supposed to become bigger than the program.

That is why hearing Harris say he believes Kiffin “doesn’t care about anything but himself” is so striking.

Harris knows what Kiffin can do as a coach. He benefited from Kiffin’s offensive mind. He was part of some phenomenal Alabama teams during Kiffin’s tenure.

This isn’t somebody claiming Kiffin cannot coach. He obviously can. In fact, that might be what makes Lane Kiffin such a fascinating figure.

He is really, really good at his job. And yet we continually spend almost as much time discussing Lane Kiffin as we do discussing the football teams Lane Kiffin coaches.

That is rare. You can respect his offensive mind while questioning some of his decisions. You can acknowledge what he did for Alabama while understanding why people at Ole Miss felt betrayed. You can appreciate his willingness to challenge outdated college football rules while still wondering whether every available loophole needs to be exploited simply because it exists.

Multiple things can be true. And I think Alabama fans understand that better than almost anyone.

Alabama benefited greatly from Lane Kiffin. That doesn’t mean Alabama fans have to defend everything he has done since leaving Tuscaloosa.

Personally, I will always appreciate what Kiffin did for Alabama’s offense.

The transformation that began during his three seasons in Tuscaloosa helped shape the program for years afterward.

He helped Alabama adapt. He helped quarterbacks develop. He helped the Crimson Tide win championships. That is part of his legacy.

But so is everything else.

The abrupt exits. The controversies. The constant headlines. The willingness to push almost every boundary college football puts in front of him. And now one of the players who actually played for him at Alabama has apparently seen enough.

Damien Harris could have danced around the subject. He didn’t.

He could have offered the typical television answer about Kiffin being controversial or unconventional. He didn’t.

Instead, Harris made it personal.

“I’m tired of talking about a guy who simply just doesn’t care about anything but himself.”

That doesn’t erase everything Lane Kiffin has accomplished. It doesn’t mean he isn’t a great football coach. And it certainly doesn’t mean LSU cannot win a lot of football games with him.

But when criticism that strong comes from someone who actually spent years in the same Alabama football building with you, it deserves attention.

Because Lane Kiffin’s ability has never really been the question. The question is whether the genius is worth everything that seems to come along with it. And after more than two decades of Lane Kiffin making headlines across college football, Damien Harris apparently already has his answer.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos