Lane Kiffin To USC: What Does It Mean?

ESPN has reported that the controversial coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, Lane Kiffin, has skipped town to become the new head coach at USC. Joining Kiffin will be his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, Ed Oregeron, who was at USC for seven years before becoming the head coach at Ole Miss.

Less than 24 hours after the departure of master recruiter Pete Carroll to the NFL, the Trojans found a guy that is almost on the same level in recruiting skills. After being denied by Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio and having Oregon State head coach Mike Riley show no interest in the job, Southern Cal found the next best man.

Kiffin served as an assistant coach under Pete Carroll from 2001-2006. He left after accepting a job in the NFL as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders. After 20 games and a 5-15 record, Kiffin was fired after a public dispute with owner Al Davis. Later in 2008, Kiffin accepted a job at the University of Tennessee to replace Phillip Fulmer, who was fired after 17 years at Tennessee. At age 33, Kiffin became the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I football.

It didn't take long for Kiffin to make an impact. At his introductory press conference, he said he would enjoy singing "Rocky Top" all night long after they beat Florida next year. Kiffin then accused Florida head coach Urban Meyer of recruiting violations, an accusation that turned out to be false. Ironically, Kiffin was violating rules himself at the same time and would later come under speculation for multiple comments and apparent use of illegal recruiting tactics.

Nevertheless, after a 7-6 season at Tennessee, USC came calling. USC is having some issues of their own with their program. Apparent recruiting violations from the Carroll era have surfaced recently, which may lead to sanctions by the NCAA.

As for what it means for the future, it's unclear at this time. It will be interesting to see how many USC verbal commitments stay with the Trojans now that Kiffin is in charge. More than likely, Kiffin will bring some of his recruits from Tennessee over to the west coast. Kiffin will also have the benefit of true sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley, who will return with a year of experience under his belt.

Running back Marc Tyler was one of the first to respond to the hiring of Kiffin, saying "it was really good" that Kiffin was coming to town. With the addition of Orgeron, Tyler said, "that's awesome, too."

For Tennessee, it's back to the drawing board for the second time in two years. Reports are that wide receivers coach Kippy Brown has been offered the interim position at Tennessee, but he was also offered a spot at USC with Kiffin. It will be an interesting coaching search that needs to end in a hurry so that Tennessee can get back on the recruiting trail. More than likely, the Vols will go with a defensive specialist, but who knows at this point?

For USC, the move was one that needed to be made. Like Tennessee, USC needed to get back on the recruiting trail as soon as they could. The Trojans can now forget about a coaching search and focus on recruiting and then getting ready for the 2010 season opener against Hawaii.

An introductory press conference is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday night, where it is expected that Kiffin will make a remark about singing "Fight On" all night long after beating rival UCLA.