Lane Kiffin leaves Tennessee for USC: did you expect any less from the dirtiest player in the game?

Well, that didn't take long.

The same day Pete Carroll is officially introduced in Seattle a bomb is dropped on the college football world with the announcement that Lane Kiffin is leaving Tennessee to return to USC as Carroll's replacement. I don't even think our friend Madame Cleo saw this one coming.

After all, it was only 14 months ago that Kiffin started establishing enemies in the SEC with slanderous statements about Urban Meyer and alienating entire counties in Florida. He came through the door with a bunch of big name coaches to steal recruits and eat children's souls. Okay, the souls part isn't true, but he did cut every corner possible in recruiting with no remorse. No one who was cited for that many "minor" recruiting violations would continue to do so if they cared at all about integrity and honesty.


Heck, Kiffin was so dishonest during his time with Oakland Raiders that Al Davis rose from the dead to make sure everyone knew what kind of scum he was firing when he let Kiffin go.

Yet we are still surprised that a coach would abandon a program where he promised that they were just beginning the journey to greatness. I'm sure if you asked Vols' fans yesterday if they were happy with the choice as Lane Kiffin as their coach despite only finishing 7-5 this year they would have said yes.

Their reaction tonight? Not quite as happy with him as they once were. The riots by the students and fans on campus would probably back that up.

Having someone like Kiffin as your coach is like having Claude Lemieux play for your hockey team. You don't care that he plays dirty as long as he is doing it for you and not against you. That's why most USC fans and recruits are ecstatic about the news that Kiffin is coming. They hear the names Chow, Orgeron, and Kiffin's dad Monte and they think national championships, not another head coach who has issues with the NCAA.

Several Vols' recruits and current players (like last year's top high school player in the nation, Bryce Brown) must feel like Kris Draper's face after Lemieux ran him from behind into the boards. Plain and simple they have to feel completely shattered.

They and everyone else should have known that big time college football is a nasty game and nobody cares about the feelings of those they leave behind. Lane Kiffin is proving to be a regular Ric Flair (aka the Dirtiest Player in the Game) in terms of his approach to coaching. I guess that means his transition back to USC will be a smooth one.