We start with the introduction of a new coach in the SEC — Lane Kiffin at Tennessee.  Here are all the links (and there are a bunch) in one-liner fashion:

Here are two wrap-ups of yesterday’s press conference and events.  First from The Knoxville News Sentinel.  (Thanks to The Sentinel for the photo at left.)  And next from The Tennessean in Nashville.

John Adams of The News Sentinel writes that Kiffin made a good first impression during his introductory talk.  Personally, I thought he looked a little nervous at first, but his answers were certainly solid.  Another interesting note: he’s a lot like his old mentor Pete Carroll in the way he speaks: choppy, fast, a little like his mouth is having to catch up to his mind.  Might be a California thing.

Alright, so he supposedly “won” the press conference… so what did he say?  Click this link to read the text of his opening speech, as well as to see part of it.

Here’s a breakdown of Kiffin’s contract.

Here’s Kiffin’s career timeline.

Mike Hamilton acted quickly to lock up Kiffin.

Joe Biddle of The Tennessean doesn’t like the hire and makes it pretty clear here.  Of course, some of his facts aren’t actually facts (Brian Kelly, according to my sources, was never offered the Tennessee job to turn down), but that’s neither here nor there.  Most folks are saying WIN!  Many folks are saying LOSS!  Personally, I think Kiffin needs to coach a game or two before he’s ranked as a hit or a dud.  But that’s just me.

David Climer, also of The Tennessean, takes a more, “here are the basics,” “we’ll see how Kiffin does” approach.

With regards to Lane’s papa, Monte, the Buccaneers aren’t saying anyting about his future.  But Kiffin is hinting to recruits and the current Vol players that his dad will indeed be the next Vol defensive coordinator.

Chris Low of ESPN reports that Tennessee is prepared to go much higher in their pay for assistants than they have in the past.  A very solid source told me as much on Saturday, which I shared on local radio.  Mike Hamilton will spend whatever it takes to make “his guy” a hit.  It’s Hamilton’s neck, too, remember.

One of the reasons Vol fans are excited about their new baby-faced coach is his ability to recruit.

You can also keep up with all of the Kiffin recruiting-related news on our Recruiting page… which brings you all of the recruiting news from across the SEC.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 am and is filed under Homepage, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.