Lane Kiffin has built a reputation as college football’s “Portal King.” But long before his success at Ole Miss and his latest chapter at LSU, Kiffin had his controversial tenure as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator at Alabama. An exclusive excerpt from John Talty’s book, Lane Being Lane, published by Vanity Fair, has shed new light on the tensions that defined their time together.

“You’ve got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college,” Nick Saban said, according to one former coach, as published by Vanity Fair on September 1. “Just keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they’ve graduated college or are working a job.”

According to a former assistant coach quoted in the book, Saban grew deeply frustrated with Kiffin’s off-field behavior and late-night antics in Tuscaloosa. University administrators ultimately determined Kiffin’s lack of maturity made him a liability, ensuring he would never be considered to succeed Saban.

John Talty also details what was going on in Kiffin’s mind at the time. His stress stemmed from his struggles in personal life combined with his inability to form a bond with Nick Saban. One friend of Lane Kiffin, according to Talty, was even worried that he will “drink himself to death.”

The book also cited numerous instances of Lane Kiffin going out drinking and socializing in public, something which other Saban assistants avoided in fear of the head coach’s wrath. The ‘Joey Freshwater’ legend began as unverified internet gossip, but recent book excerpts lend credibility to the rumor.

The name first gained viral traction through a college football message board post during Kiffin’s Alabama tenure. As the rumor mill churned, a student at a Tuscaloosa bar noticed a man who closely resembled Lane Kiffin hitting on a group of college-aged women.

When introducing himself, the man allegedly claimed his name was “Joey Freshwater.” When a male student recognized him and called him out, the coach reportedly allegedly brushed it off by insisting, “I get that a lot,” before moving on to try his luck elsewhere. In 2017, Lane Kiffin denied using that name, but said he often went by ‘Jimmy Chestnut.’

Beyond his personal life, the book states that staff members and players grew frustrated because he would reportedly draw up and throw out unscripted plays during games that the team had never practiced. The official tipping point came during preparation for the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.

After accepting the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University, Kiffin was visibly distracted during practice. He was frequently on his phone trying to build his new staff rather than focusing on Alabama’s game plan. Saban ultimately fired him just one week before the national title game against Clemson. 

While Kiffin was officially dismissed at the time for being distracted by his new head-coaching job at FAU, the excerpt confirms years of internet speculation about his social behavior. 

Over the years, Kiffin has continually credited Saban with saving his career and teaching him how to run a program. Kiffin once noted that he views Saban like a family member. “I can joke about him… but if someone else does, it really pi-ses me off.” 

Despite their notoriously turbulent history at Alabama, Nick Saban played a defining role in Lane Kiffin’s bombshell career move. He was the one who pushed him to become the head coach of the LSU Tigers. 

When Kiffin was facing intense pressure and immense confusion late last year, while trying to decide whether to leave an 11-win Ole Miss program for a rival SEC powerhouse, it was Saban he dialed for advice. 

Lane Kiffin’s and Nick Saban’s relationship in Alabama

The professional and personal relationship between Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin is widely regarded as one of the most successful yet deeply dysfunctional partnerships in modern college football history. 

Saban brought Kiffin in after his public firing from USC. It was out of a desire to modernize Alabama’s traditional and pro-style offense into a fast-paced spread attack. Kiffin famously told Saban, “Our offense is a Lamborghini, but it’s headed off a cliff. “They had great players but outdated schemes. 

The former Alabama head coach was notoriously a control freak who demanded rigid structure. In contrast, Kiffin was notoriously disorganized and unbothered by schedules. According, to “The Price: What It Takes to Win In College Football’s Era of Chaos,” a book by Armen Keteyian and John Talty, Saban once grew so enraged by Kiffin’s attitude during staff meetings that he called their shared mega-agent, Jimmy Sexton. He threatened to fire Sexton entirely over Kiffin’s behavior. Saban later grumbled to another assistant, “I’ve never had a f— coach I can’t control.” 

Kiffin became famous for receiving intense, visible tongue-lashings from Saban on the sidelines during games. Despite going 40-4, winning three SEC Championships, and capturing a National Title together, the relationship degraded to a toxic level by the end of 2016. 

In an unprecedented move, Saban fired Kiffin just seven days before the National Championship Game against Clemson. Steve Sarkisian replaced him. Alabama went on to lose that game in a heartbreaking last-second finish. A result that many still blame on the offensive disruption.