When Lane Kiffin did a perfect impression of legendary Alabama HC Nick Saban

Lane Kiffin had some fruitful years working under Nick Saban at Alabama. The current Ole Miss coach was the Crimson Tide offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016 following his time as USC coach.

During an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” in 2018 while he was at Florida Atlantic, Lane Kiffin was asked if Saban ever had fun. In answering, Kiffin slipped into Saban's signature monotone voice and delivered a spot-on impression, mimicking the Alabama coach’s response.

“Dan, fun is winning,” Kiffin said in his Saban's voice. “When you hold that trophy, you take a picture, then you hand it away and then you go work on the next one. That’s fun, Dan.”

Nick Saban threatened to fire his agent for recommending Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban's relationship has been odd even before it started. Super agent Jimmy Sexton recommended Kiffin to Saban according to the book, “The Price: What It Takes to Win In College Football’s Era of Chaos” by Armen Keteyian and John Talty.

However, the recommendation didn’t go well with Saban, who was in search of someone to make his offense explosive. The legendary coach threatened to fire Sexton, who was also representing Kiffin, for making the recommendation.

“That son of a b*tch,” Saban said of Kiffin to the agent, according to a review of the book. “I’m going to fire you, Jimmy, for ever talking me into hiring that narcissistic prick.”

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Lane Kiffin believes Alabama would have won the 2016 national championship with him

Lane Kiffin didn't end his time under Nick Saban on a good note. He was fired by Saban ahead of the national championship game against Clemson after taking the Florida Atlantic head coaching job and elected to remain until the playoffs concluded.

The Crimson Tide went on to lose the game 35-31 to the Tigers, who sealed the win with the final play of the game. Kiffin believes Bama would have won with him in charge.

“It’s no disrespect to Steve [Sarkisian],” Kiffin said. “No matter who it was, you’ve been there all year long. You’ve been there for the quarterback. You’re all he knew. You were undefeated together. We’ve won [26] straight games together.

“You feel like, okay, it’s different. As great as Sark is, it’s just different. Again, if it had been 14 points either way . . . when it’s one play here or there, you think if those guys had the person they were used to, it would have made a difference.”

Following his time at Alabama, Lane Kiffin has gone on to build himself a successful coaching career. He is 66-28 since leaving Tuscaloosa, transforming both Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss.