Top 10 Dumbest College Football Coaching Hires in the Last 10 Years
Oct 25, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin (left) before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
When Mike Hamilton hired Kiffin to replace Fulmer in 2008, he was hiring a guy who had no college head coaching experience and clearly did not want to be at Tennessee but took the best job available to him.
Then he shelled out as much money to bring Kiffin’s “Hall of Fame” staff with him, which was his selling point to Hamilton and is, by the way, an incredibly dumb reason to hire somebody. But what is more egregious is the number of qualified candidates Hamilton passed on to bring in Kiffin.
In 2009, Charlie Strong and Brian Kelly were two very qualified candidates to bring in as head coach. But instead, Hamilton turned first to Butch Davis and then to Kiffin.
Well, by trying to make the smart hire, he paid for it as Kiffin left after one year and brought in a recruiting class in which half the guys were gone from the program in two years. But don’t worry.
Kiffin’s departure only gave Hamilton a better chance to out-stupid himself.
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Lane Kiffin
2009, Tennessee Volunteers
Yes, Lane Kiffin gets to be on this list twice. And he was a much more stupid hire the first time around.
When the USC Trojans hired Lane Kiffin, they brought on a guy who would stay as long as he could, who at least had a bit of a resume when it comes to recruiting as a head coach at Tennessee, and showed an ability to generate hype.
When Mike Hamilton hired Kiffin to replace Fulmer in 2008, he was hiring a guy who had no college head coaching experience and clearly did not want to be at Tennessee but took the best job available to him.
Then he shelled out as much money to bring Kiffin’s “Hall of Fame” staff with him, which was his selling point to Hamilton and is, by the way, an incredibly dumb reason to hire somebody. But what is more egregious is the number of qualified candidates Hamilton passed on to bring in Kiffin.
In 2009, Charlie Strong and Brian Kelly were two very qualified candidates to bring in as head coach. But instead, Hamilton turned first to Butch Davis and then to Kiffin.
Well, by trying to make the smart hire, he paid for it as Kiffin left after one year and brought in a recruiting class in which half the guys were gone from the program in two years. But don’t worry.
Kiffin’s departure only gave Hamilton a better chance to out-stupid himself.
Next: #1: Derek Dooley