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UCLA offered Lane Kiffin offensive coordinator job with Bruins

By Patrick Schmidt

Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin in the second quarter in the 2016 CFP National Championship against the Clemson Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin in the second quarter in the 2016 CFP National Championship against the Clemson Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin turned down an opportunity to be the offensive coordinator with the UCLA Bruins.

Lane Kiffin has had a successful two-year run with Alabama as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator and should have some options if he wants to be a head coach again, but one of those coaching opportunities wasn’t the right fit or right time for Kiffin.

According to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com, UCLA wanted to hire Kiffin to be the Bruins offensive coordinator after Noel Mazzone left for the same job with the Texas A&M Aggies. The job was offered to Kiffin days before Alabama played Clemson in the National Championship on Monday night.

The UCLA job is an attractive one after seeing what quarterback Josh Rosen did in his freshman year, but it would have been a step down for Kiffin to leave Alabama for that job.

Kiffin and Nick Saban may be radically different from a personality standpoint but it works for Alabama who saw Kiffin turn Blake Sims into one of the highest-rated passers in the country last year and make the College Football Playoff.

This year, it may have been even better with his work with Jake Coker who threw for a career-high 335 yards in the title game and running back Derrick Henry smashed SEC records and won the Heisman.

Kiffin has a challenge for next year without Henry and Coker to rely on but with former five-star quarterback recruit Blake Barnett on the roster and Calvin Ridley at receiver and Bo Scarbrough poised to succeed Henry in the backfield, Alabama could be ready to reload for another run at the national title.

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When Kiffin leaves Alabama, it won’t be for another offensive coordinator in college, because he has the best OC job in the country, rather for a head coaching opportunity and could be one of the more attractive coaching candidates next year if he’s ready to leave Alabama.

UCLA named running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu as offensive coordinator on Wednesday.

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