Lane Kiffin Abandons Tennessee to Become Next Head Coach at USC

A day after Pete Carroll officially resigned from USC, Lane Kiffin has been hired, according to ESPN.com.

Kiffin only had one season at Tennessee. He finished 7-6, but he gave Florida a scare, and most notably was several blocked FG's away from upsetting eventual national champion Alabama.

Lane Kiffin's dad, Monte Kiffin, will move with him and become USC's defensive coordinator.

What it means for USC: USC gets an excellent recruiter and a young, fresh and exciting face. Kiffin went 7-6 in his first year at Tennessee, but he had already put together a top 10 recruiting class (No. 7, according to Scout.com). Better than USC's recruiting class (No. 16, according to Scout.com).

Another key is on the defensive side of the ball. Tennessee improved notably on this side of the ball with Monte Kiffin at the helm. Monte Kiffin was the longtime defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Tony Dungy, and also when they won a Super Bowl under Jon Gruden. Monte Kiffin is one of the best defensive coaches in the game.

Lane Kiffin is relatively untested and unexperienced, but he has the potential to be a great coach.

Of main concern for USC is the pending investigation by the NCAA and potential recruiting restrictions.

Lane Kiffin has some minor NCAA violations on his record.

What it means for Tennessee: Obviously, it's a blow. It remains to be seen how much the move affects its current recruiting class; will any of its recruits bail at the last second? Is it possible that Lane Kiffin could sway some of the top recruits of Tennessee's highly regarded class on the weeks before National Signing Day?

Current Tennessee Wide Receiver Coach Kippy Brown is reportedly going to be named the interim coach. It remains to be seen whether he will be considered for anything more than that or who Tennessee will hire as its next head coach.

What it means for college football: Oregon State and Washington fans were spared of losing their head coaches to their conference rival.

The continuing trend of coaches abandoning current jobs for jobs with seemingly more potential continues. The disturbing thing to me is with these coaches leaving after so short a time. One year is all Lane Kiffin gave Tennessee; yet if any of the players that he recruited wants to leave, they will have to sit out a year.

The SEC will be spared from Lane Kiffin's seemingly weekly trash talking and feuds with Urban Meyer and others.

Pat Forde says he was shocked that Lane Kiffin, who was "average" as the HC of the Raiders and "mediocre" with Tennessee, got one of the top jobs in all of college football.

Will Lane Kiffin create a powerhouse at USC? Or will he drive it to the ground?

When will the Tennessee Vols find their next head coach? Who will it be?

With potential recruiting restrictions pending against USC, will Lane Kiffin end up regretting this move?