Yep, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron wants to hire Lane Kiffin away from Alabama

It’s a poorly hidden secret: New (full-time) LSU head coach Ed Orgeron is going to make Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, his former boss at both Tennessee and USC, tell him no. Multiple sources have confirmed to SB Nation that the new LSU head coach will attempt to pull Kiffin out of Tuscaloosa for the same position in Baton Rouge, and that he has been targeting the Tide’s play caller for weeks.

Orgeron planned for his “interview” with LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva by building out a presentation that included detailed procedures for everything from recruiting to marketing to alumni engagement — a wholesale revision of the day-to-day operations of a football program many in the industry have felt lacked innovation in the latter years of Les Miles’s run.

But the plan’s focal point was a new offensive coordinator hire that multiple sources described to SB Nation last week as “top level.” Interim play caller and former tight ends coach Steve Ensminger would amicably move back to his old position, and the biggest perceived sin of the Miles era would be addressed with a new hire given play-calling freedom.

While the Tigers offense stalled against top-tier defenses Alabama and Florida (Nos. 2 and 5 nationally in Defensive S&P+), including a botched final play that cost the Tigers a win against UF, decision-makers at LSU understood the truth — Ensminger and Orgeron could only advanced former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s playbook so far from week to week during the season. (Terminology for play calls and protections remained largely the same during the Tigers’ second “Orgeron” season, with added emphasis on formations and stretching the field with more frequent deep passes to open running lanes.)

Orgeron once replaced Kiffin as USC’s successful interim

A few weeks ago, O had this to say about his former boss:

“I talk to him two or three times a week, but we’re going to take a hiatus these next two weeks,” Orgeron said with his gravelly, deep-throated laugh at his post-practice press conference Tuesday. “I know he’s going to want to talk to me but I ain’t answering back. I know how he is.”

“We have a mutual respect,” he said. “We’re not coaching friends, we’re personal friends. We care about each other’s family. We talk about personal stuff. We’ve had a great relationship throughout the years. Lane has always treated me well. Everywhere he’s been he’s tried to get me to go with him. I worked under him and was assistant head coach. We had a tremendous time together.

“I have the utmost respect for him since he was a young coach. He was a tight ends coach (at USC) and he had all the answers the first day. I said, ‘Man this guy’s going to be special.’ A great recruiter. We won two national championships together. We have great memories.”

Orgeron has also worked with Kiffin’s brother, Chris, who remains on staff at Ole Miss.

Can’t say for sure!

But sources have told SB Nation that the LSU offer — in addition to being “fiscally aggressive” — comes with a chance for Kiffin to to enjoy more freedom as a play caller and game planner as well as work for a head coach he has been familiar with since his time at USC.

“LSU won’t make this a financial decision for Kiffin,” a source told SB Nation. “This will be about quality of life.

“More than anywhere else, this is where Orgeron excels. He’s going to recruit Lane, and he’s one of the best recruiters in history.”

There’s a chance Kiffin could have a head coaching offer (yep, he’s rebuilt his image that much since his failed stints at USC, Tennessee, and the Oakland Raiders) or perhaps even an NFL OC job, but with his Bama contract just about up, most expected him to move out from under Saban’s shadow after this season anyway.

Bama’s been preparing for this. For one thing, the Tide hired Steve Sarkisian — another former USC OC and head coach — to its staff as an analyst a few months ago. Sark could be a candidate to end up running either of these SEC West offenses.

The Bama offense might be the greatest achievement of Kiffin’s career. He’s converted it from a sluggish, ball-control offense to a modern, terrifying spread attack. Doing something similar at LSU, which has been starved for anything approaching “modern,” would make him a future head coaching star all over again.