After spending three seasons at Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin, the flamboyant head coach, has turned around the program for good. He developed Jaxson Dart, who was the first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft. But long before he revitalised Oxford, Kiffin was causing chaos in Tuscaloosa, trolling Nick Saban, pranking walk-ons, and helping lead Alabama to the 2015 national championship as offensive coordinator. Now, 10 years since that natty title, his son, Knox, is making the Bama reunion for his dad.
When Kiffin arrived at Alabama in 2014, he was a controversial figure. Widely known as the ostracised coach who was fired controversially from USC. Nick Saban took him under his wing, and Kiffin paid back with an offensive overhaul and recruiting exploits. Kiffin mentored QBs like Blake Sims, who went on to set a school record of 3,487 passing yards, and later mentored Jalen Hurts, who was the first freshman under Saban to start behind the center. The offense bloomed under Kiffin as the offensive coordinator, and Saban termed Kiffin as “an outstanding and creative offensive coach.” But their working relationship was far from harmonious.
Kiffin’s free-spirited style and playful personality often clashed with Saban’s rigid and disciplined structure. Take, for example, the incident when he used to call walk-on QB Montana Murphy ‘triscuit boy’ instead of his name and used to send him on fool’s errands, such as searching for absent coaches. While this may seem like harmless fun, it caused a culture clash in Alabama.
The incidents resulted in the relationship souring between the two, and Kiffin was relieved of his duties just a week before the national championship game against Clemson. Despite the ugly ending, time seems to have softened the edges. Now that his son is at Alabama’s camp, Kiffin couldn’t hold back his emotions for Knox. And the emotions are mostly hilarious. Jest runs in the blood afterall.
Kiffin reposted the On3 recruits’ post on X, which announced his son, Knox, visiting Tuscaloosa for a visit. The Ole Miss head coach posted it and wrote, “@alabamaFTBL thankyou.” Kiffin also shared several pictures of Knox training at Alabama in another post on his X account. Now, the head coach has shared a short clip of Knox’s interview at Alabama on his IG story, as Knox can be seen mimicking coach Kiffin and handling questions as he stands on the podium answering them. The head coach wrote, “Pov: Coach Kiffin,” showcasing Kiffin’s signature style of handling questions.
@AlabamaFTBL thank you https://t.co/NK6eyEPpQ7
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) June 21, 2025
Knox has a lot of time on his hands to make his name in the recruiting world, being a 2028 prospect. But he has already received offers from colleges like SMU, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky, FIU, Georgia State, Sacramento State, Murray State, and Tennessee, who offered him back in Feb 2023. So, the recruitment is going well, with growing buzz and a famous last name, 6’0″ and 170 lbs QB’s profile is likely to expand quickly.
Change of plans in Knox Kiffin’s career as he reunites with Dad
Initially a player of Palos Verdes High School in 2024, Knox recorded 750 passing yards along with 12 touchdowns in six games during his Freshman season. However, after the season ended, Knox followed in his father’s footsteps and came to Oxford, enrolling at Oxford High School to stay close and learn from his dad. Lane also tweeted about it on his X account.
“2028 QB Knox Kiffin is set to join the Oxford High School (MS) football team on June 2nd, @BradLoganCOTE reports. Knox is the son of Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin,” wrote On3 about Knox’s transfer. And Lane? He seemed elated and wrote, “LFG. The band is all back together . Pops is smiling.”
Knox is coming to a team that went 6-5 last fall and later finished 35th in the State. The moves largely align with the desire to stay close and learn from Lane Kiffin, one of the most brilliant offensive minds in football. Also, with the Alabama visit happening, it’s expected that Knox might be getting his Bama offer in no time soon!
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