Houston Closing In On Alabama OC Lane Kiffin As Next Head Coach

The University of Houston is finalizing a decision to name Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin as its next football coach, Dan Wolken of USA Today Sports is reporting.

Houston Closing In On Alabama OC Lane Kiffin As Next Head Coach

The decision is pending a Thursday meeting at which school president Renu Khator will approve Kiffin, according to two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move has not yet been officially announced.

Should he be hired by Houston, Kiffin would be replacing Tom Herman, who left for Texas after just two seasons.

As of Wednesday, Houston had scrapped LSU coach Les Miles as a candidate, and was still choosing between Kiffin and its internal candidates, particularly defensive coordinator Todd Orlando. Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley had been a candidate but pulled out Wednesday.

Kiffin, 41, was USC’s coach for three-plus seasons and at Tennessee for one before that. His career record is 35-21. He was terminated by USC five games into the 2013 season but ended up at Alabama in 2014 and tried to regain his reconstruct his reputation.

The Houston Cougars (9-3, fourth in West) lost their final regular-season game to Memphis 48-44 on Black Friday. They won their three previous games against Louisville, Tulane and Central Florida, however.

Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage stated that he believes if Kiffin leaves Alabama, he won’t coach in the playoffs.

“I would anticipate Steve Sarkisian would be the play-caller for the Washington game and perhaps the national title game if Alabama wins,” Savage, who is also an analyst for the Crimson Tide Radio Network, said Thursday.

The Crimson Tide is set to play Washington at the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31.

KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 25: Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin of the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 25, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee.