Lane Kiffin denied a Tennessee rumor, which only made Vols in his mentions want him more

Lane Kiffin continues to be one of the best Twitter follows in college football. Twenty-four hours after one of the most bizarre coaching-search situations in recent memory, Tennessee backtracking from hiring Greg Schiano amid the backlash from Vols fans and even Tennessee state representatives, Kiffin’s name is again being circulated by some as a candidate.

On Sunday evening, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd wrote that Tennessee should consider hiring Kiffin back — with the headline “As Tennessee again finds itself engulfed in flames, Lane Kiffin waits by his phone:”

Listen up, Vols. Kiffin wants to drive your car. Again. He’d tell you that, I bet.

All Tennessee has to do is call him. A coach who played the Vols like a violin for one season in 2009 before bolting for USC looks like the voice of reason these days. Can all be forgiven?

Kiffin’s return might result in an equal and opposite reaction to what Schiano received on Sunday -- more like a ticker-tape parade than a protest streamed on Facebook Live.

Kiffin rebutted those claims on Twitter the only way he can — by inviting Dodd to Boca while randomly mentioning ESPN (the game’s on ESPN2, at least):

The replies to Kiffin’s tweet are amazing in themselves, too, because his response further gives Tennessee fans hope that he will come back.

This isn’t the first time Kiffin has stirred up Vols Twitter — last month, he followed a “UT Coach Kiffin” account:

The Kiffin-to-Tennessee claims are out there, despite his quick departure from Knoxville following his lone 2009 season as the Vols’ head coach. In fact, in the middle of a Schiano protest outside one of the Vols’ athletic buildings, a protester was holding this:

Kiffin’s FAU team finished the regular season ranked 9-3, and the Owls will face North Texas in the Conference USA championship game Saturday afternoon. Kiffin returning to Knoxville is obviously a long shot, but you have to love him for continuing to stir the pot.