Lane Kiffin Says Journey to Ole Miss Head Coach Job Was 'Almost Like Punishment'

After being hired as head coach of Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin explained that his recent journey was "almost like punishment when somebody goes to prison." 

The 44-year-old broke down his thoughts to ESPN's Jeremy Schaap in an interview that aired Monday on SportsCenter:

Kiffin clarified that he didn't think of his past jobs as a prison, but there is an outside feeling of a comeback story.

"He served his time as an assistant, he served his time at a Group of Five school. Alright, now he's deserving," Kiffin said of the perspective of his critics.

The coach entered the national spotlight at an early age, becoming head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He was fired after an unsuccessful run, but he landed on his feet with Tennessee and then USC.

After losing his job with the Trojans, he began to "serve his time" and pay his dues at lower levels.

Kiffin was an offensive coordinator for Alabama for three seasons, helping lead the team to a national title in 2015. In 2017, he became head coach of Florida Atlantic before leading the squad to two conference titles in a span of three seasons.

This was despite taking over a squad that went 3-9 in three straight years before Kiffin arrived.

The success at these two stops arguably made him a more qualified candidate for his current role than anything that occurred beforehand. Ole Miss hasn't had a winning season in the last four years and could use a coach that has learned how to build a program from the ground up.

Kiffin acknowledged his redemption story and said he believes people will be behind him as he tries again to compete in the SEC.