Vols not so eager for shot at Kiffin
With all the negativity pouring out of Knoxville, it’s obvious the Vols want one thing, and one thing only, and that’s the opportunity to take a shot at former coach Lane Kiffin.—Wrong.
Vols fans have taken plenty of personal shots at Kiffin, ranging from jokes, parodies, and the “Got Sanctions” billboards. But when presented with the opportunity to come face to face on the football field with the man that rudely walked away from their beloved program, the administration declined.
Lane Kiffin proposed a 2011 meeting between his former team and new Trojans to kick off the college football season. Athletic Director Mike Hamilton wanted no part of it, pointing to a Tennessee schedule already loaded with out of conference games with Cincinnati and North Carolina, to go along with its rigorous SEC load.
From a football perspective, Hamilton has a valid point. But judging by the fan reaction to Kiffin’s sudden departure, no game on the schedule would mean more than a circled date with USC. For those fans, the opportunity couldn’t come soon enough, but for those responsible for scheduling and success, the very thought can be murder for a program desperately trying to crawl from the ashes of a recent crash.
This game will happen, but not right now. Aside from the obvious storyline of a deserting coach returning to square off against the former program, Tennessee loves to recruit California, and likewise, Kiffin and Ed Orgeron welcome any opportunity to recruit the south.
