Lane’s World: Carousel chaos and the looming big-money battle over Kiffin
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Dan Wetzel
In January 2017, just days before Alabama played Clemson for the national championship, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban essentially fired his offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin.
Officially it was because Kiffin’s acceptance of the Florida Atlantic head coaching job had caused “distractions.”
Really though, Kiffin had so worn out his welcome that Saban, a man who despises any disruption to pretty much anything, was willing to dump his playcaller before the biggest game of the season. (Alabama would lose to Clemson, although Saban, of course, said Kiffin’s departure played no role.)
And now that very same Lane Kiffin, with his No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels hurtling toward the College Football Playoff and rival SEC programs frothing to send a Brink’s truck to Oxford to lure him away, might be the belle of college football.
Back then, though, Kiffin was mostly its court jester — talented but immature, brilliant but self-destructive. He seemed destined to fade away in Conference USA purgatory.
Kiffin’s father, Monte, was a famed defensive coordinator and Lane became the coach of the Oakland Raiders at just 31 years old. By 33, he was the former coach, with owner Al Davis claiming he had been “conned” into ever hiring him. His tenure is mostly notable for having Sebastian Janikowski attempt a comical 76-yard field goal. (It wasn’t close.)
He spent one year at the University of Tennessee, long enough for his antics to rack up fines and reprimands from the SEC, not to mention a full recruiting banishment by a Florida high school.
Still, his departure to USC caused so much anger in Knoxville that the city council considered a proposal to name a wastewater treatment plant the “Lane Kiffin Sewage Center.”
He lasted three-plus seasons at USC before being fired at the airport upon returning from a loss. Working for Saban offered a reboot, but he acknowledges now he was drinking too much and wasn’t particularly close to even his own kids. Then even Saban got tired of him.
And yet here we are, in 2025, with Kiffin not just in the top 10, but atop every dream coaching candidate list that tens of millions in buyout money can create.
He parlayed two 11-win seasons at FAU into the Ole Miss job in 2020 and now the Rebels are rolling. He’s also notably sober and surrounded by his children — daughter Landry attends Ole Miss and son Knox is a local high school star. Daughter Presley plays volleyball at USC.
He still trolls everyone on social media, but he also offers motivational verses and wisdom about mental health.
The dude has lived half a dozen different lives, yet is still only 50 and in his coaching prime.
Kiffin finally achieving his potential isn’t the reason that SEC programs LSU, Florida and Arkansas have already committed a collective $84 million to fire their head coaches.
But they all hope he returns their calls.
Florida State and Auburn might dump their guys for the chance as well.
Or he can just renegotiate with Ole Miss for some untold fortune and try to do what was previously considered impossible: win a national title in Oxford.
Kiffin was once a job-jumping, opportunity seeker. Tennessee wasn’t good enough, after all. Now? Maybe not. He speaks about balance and family and comfort.
That all plays to Ole Miss, which is understandably worried that the lure — and greater resources — at LSU and Florida will sway him.
Also in the Rebels’ favor? Kiffin is doing too good of a job. If Ole Miss makes the playoff, then that ties him up until at least Dec. 19 or 20, when the first-round games will be played, or even longer if the Rebels earn a bye.
Leaving would require either Kiffin quitting on his current team (exceedingly unlikely) or a major power patiently waiting (also unlikely). And if the Rebels keep advancing, well, the transfer portal is open Jan. 2-12. The playoff runs through Jan. 19. How would that even work?
Whatever Kiffin decides, he has morphed into college football’s most intriguing character, if not the best pure coach for the current era. Yes, he’s more focused now that cocktail lounges no longer play a role in his life, but the sport has also moved toward him.
It’s the transfer market that matters these days, meaning Ole Miss’ relative (compared to SEC behemoths) lack of money, history and recruiting power matter less. Attracting and identifying talented and hungry transfers matters more.
Kiffin dubbed himself the “Portal King” for a reason.
It was, after all, the Ole Miss coaching staff (led by offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.) that spent last April scouring Division II tape in search of hidden talent only to find Ferris State quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
They pounced and beat out Temple for a player who is now a Heisman Trophy contender.
LSU offers a talent-rich recruiting area, the obsession of the state (Louisiana’s governor was in on the firing of Brian Kelly) and a track record of national titles. Florida is a big, wealthy program with its own mantle of championships. Once upon a time, that would have sealed the deal for one of them.
But Ole Miss offers grass that might be green enough, especially in an era when what you do matters more than where you do it.
That means all eyes are on Lane Kiffin — his team and his future. Once famed for his firings, he has college football in the palm of his hands.
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Greg Wyshynski
The Utah Mammoth have signed center Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension, locking in one of their brightest young stars for the long term.
Cooley, 21, leads the Mammoth in goals (8) and is tied for second in points (12) in 11 games, helping to power the second-year team to first place in the Central Division (8-3-0). He is on a four-game point streak with six goals and three assists, including a goal in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers that snapped the Mammoth’s seven-game winning streak.
He became the first player in NHL history to score each of his first eight goals of the season in the first period.
“Choosing to play with this group of teammates was the easiest part of this decision, and living in Utah has been amazing since day one,” Cooley said in a statement. “The atmosphere at the Delta Center in front of our fans is unreal and Ryan and Ashley Smith have given our team every resource to succeed, which is all you can ask for as a player. We have an opportunity to do something special here thanks to the incredible people in the organization. This is an awesome day for me and my family, and I am proud to commit to the state of Utah and to the Mammoth.”
Cooley is playing out the final year of his entry-level deal before the extension kicks in starting with the 2026-27 season, when he would have been a restricted free agent. His $10 million average annual value would be the highest among current Mammoth players next season.
He had 25 goals and 40 assists last season for the Utah Hockey Club. Overall, Cooley has 53 goals and 68 assists in 168 NHL games with Utah and Arizona, which drafted him third overall in 2022.
“Logan is elite in every sense of the word,” Mammoth governor Ryan Smith said in a statement. “He’s one of the most exciting young players in the league, and the fact that he’s chosen to plant roots here in Utah says everything about what we’re building. He is part of an incredible core of young players that will have a major impact on the future of this franchise. Logan choosing to put his roots down here and commit for the long-term is another important milestone in building a championship-caliber team.”
Cooley is the second major signing for general manager Bill Armstrong within Utah’s young core. Forward Dylan Guenther, 22, inked an eight-year deal with an average annual value of over $7.1 million in September 2024, locking him in through 2032-33. Forward JJ Peterka, 23, was signed through 2030 ($7.7 million AAV) after Armstrong acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason.
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Jesse Rogers
LOS ANGELES — It was a swing that could turn the World Series.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got a hanging sweeper from all-world pitcher/hitter Shohei Ohtani in the third inning of Game 4 of the World Series — and blasted it into the night sky just moments after the Los Angeles Dodgers had taken a 1-0 lead.
It was a critical swing for the Blue Jays mere hours after they lost a heartbreaking, 18-inning affair, putting Toronto behind in the series for the first time — and Guerrero’s homer gave the Jays a Game 4 lead they would never relinquish.
It was the latest in an October full of big moments produced by the face of his franchise, and the fact that it came against the Dodgers’ two-way phenom adds to an evolving storyline: Ohtani isn’t the only superstar in this World Series.
“That swing was huge,” manager John Schneider said after the win that tied the series at two games apiece. “A sweeper is a pitch designed to generate popups…and the swing that Vlad put on it was elite. After last night [Game 3] and kind of all the recognition that went into Shohei individually and he’s on the mound today, it’s a huge swing from Vlad. It’s a huge swing to get us going. I think that gives [us] some momentum.”
Guerrero has been giving the Blue Jays momentum all month, hitting .419 with seven home runs this postseason. But don’t just label him a free-swinging slugger. Though that description might fit his famous dad, the younger Guerrero is much, much more — and his teammates have taken notice throughout the postseason ride.
‘Grabbing some popcorn and watching him do his thing’
Max Scherzer is a future Hall of Famer pitching in the World Series for a fourth different franchise, and even the 41-year-old right-hander is impressed by what he has seen from Guerrero on a nightly basis.
“He’s just locked and loaded,” Scherzer said. “He’s such a force. To me, his greatness is beyond his offense. It’s his defense and baserunning too. He’s an all-around great player.”
But nothing else Guerrero has done this season compares to the show he has put on with the bat in his hands. Even his hitting coach, David Popkins, often finds himself watching his star like a fan would.
“It’s pretty much enjoying the show, grabbing some popcorn and watching him do his thing,” Popkins said with a laugh. “He’s ahead of every adjustment before we can get to him. I learn from him every day.
“And when those things click, it’s on like Donkey Kong.”
It’s a common theme from those playing with him this October.
Closer Jeff Hoffman said he is “on the edge of his seat” every night, waiting for Guerrero to do something special. Sometimes it comes with a big home run to left field and other times it’s just shooting the ball the other way for a single, as he also did in Game 4. Guerrero is the embodiment of spraying to all fields.
“It’s a quality at-bat every time,” third baseman Ernie Clement said. “It doesn’t have to be a homer. He is battling up there and seeing pitches and just making it really, really hard on the opposing pitchers.
“This postseason as a whole is just the most amazing baseball I’ve ever seen from him. And that’s saying something because he hit like .400 in the second half last year. This is the best version of him.”
‘Helping my team win some games’
On the heels of signing a massive $500 million contract that will keep him with the Blue Jays through the 2039 season, many of Guerrero’s teammates point to the extra pressure on their superstar’s shoulders to deliver this month — but he just keeps on living up to the expectations.
He hit .529 in the division series, .385 in the ALCS and is hitting .368 in the World Series so far. Guerrero was asked what has impressed him most about his own play after his Game 4 home run against Ohtani.
“That I am helping my team win some games,” he responded through the team interpreter. “That’s what I’m impressed with right now.”
The effects of his play were echoed throughout the locker room after the latest in a month of heroics.
“He never settles,” Popkins said. “He’s really grounded in who he is as a hitter and what his foundational beliefs are based off how he was raised. He’s special in that manner.”
‘I’d probably pitch around him’
Another regular spectator for “The Guerrero Show,” Jays reliever Eric Lauer, was asked how he would pitch to Guerrero. He paused before answering, shaking his head as he thought about it.
“I’d probably pitch around him,” Lauer said with a laugh. “His bat path is so smooth and long, I feel like he can get to anything.
“Whenever he comes up, we’re just like ‘Hang a slider or a curveball. Hang something. Or throw a fastball down the middle and see how far that goes.'”
“The cool thing about Valddy is he’s not a home-run-or-bust kind of hitter,” Hoffman added.
Even Guerrero could take a moment to appreciate his home run off the best player in the game. It came one night after Ohtani stole all the headlines, reaching base a record nine times in Game 3. The Dodgers star was denied a second straight night of glory, thanks to the second-best player on the field. On Tuesday, it was Guerrero who stole the show, giving his underdog Jays a chance to upset the defending champions.
“It was very important for me to hit that home run, and from that point on, we got going,” Guerrero said. “And I know basically myself and him [Ohtani], we are the talk of the series, but when we are between those two lines, we’re competing.
“It felt good that I could hit that homer against him.”
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