In new offensive coordinator , Alabama is bringing on board one of the most successful recruiters college football has seen in the past decade.
Kiffin's recruiting prowess dates back to his days as an assistant coach under Pete Carroll at Southern Cal, where he was first hired as a tight ends coach at the age of 26. Kiffin quickly moved his way up the ladder at USC to wide receivers coach, then passing game coordinator and eventually offensive coordinator with the young assistant's skill and energy on the recruiting trail playing a huge role in his advancement on Carroll's staff.
The Trojans saw progress offensively under coordinator Norm Chow but both the USC offense and the Trojans' recruiting appeared to take big steps forward once Chow moved on and Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian were given command of the offense beginning with the 2005 season. Thanks to the on-field success of superstar recruits from the 2003 signing class, including Reggie Bush, Lendale White and Steve Smith, Kiffin and his fellow USC staffers embarked on a run that was not equaled by any program until Alabama's recent string of top-ranked recruiting classes.
USC landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the Rivals.com rankings for three consecutive seasons from 2004 until 2006, signing 16 prospects with five-star ratings from the service in that three-year span. Kiffin was instrumental in helping the Trojans through this unprecedented run of success, during which USC placed a premium on dominating their talent-rich home state.
After returning from the NFL, Kiffin returned to the college ranks in 2009 taking on the head coaching position at Tennessee. Kiffin's impact on the recruiting trail was immediate for what had become a stale and talent-starved program, with the Volunteers landing back-to-back top ten recruiting classes under Kiffin in 2009 and 2010. Those two classes included 24 prospects rated four stars or better by Rivals.com, including several players who served key roles for the Volunteers last season such as running back Rajion Neal and offensive linemen James Stone and Jawuan James.
After returning to USC to serve as head coach, Kiffin once again found immediate success recruiting on the West Coast, landing the No. 4 class in the nation in 2011. Once scholarship limitations were imposed due to NCAA sanctions against the Trojans, Kiffin's subsequent classes were significantly smaller but no less talent-rich. With just 15 total signees in his 2012 signing class, Kiffin managed to land the No. 8 class in the nation. With just 12 total signees in 2013, Kiffin still landed the No. 13 class in the nation, with five of USC's 12 signees rated as five-star prospects.
Kiffin gives the Crimson Tide another dangerous weapon on the recruiting trail with three crucial weeks to go before National Signing Day. Could the addition of Kiffin give Alabama an edge in landing some key offensive recruits in the final weeks of the 2014 cycle? Stay tuned to AL.com/recruiting for the latest developments.
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