All the right things have been said by Alabama Coach Nick Saban and soon-to-be-former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin about Kiffin's departure to become a head coach at Florida Atlantic.
Yet, it doesn't make sense how Kiffin could fall to a school named after an ocean to lead a football program that is 11 years old and had only four winning seasons.
A week before it was announced Kiffin was headed to Boca Raton, his name was hot on the coaching carousel.
He was being linked with head coaching jobs at Houston and Oregon, and it was written that if those jobs didn't come to fruition, Kiffin would become the highest paid assistant in the country as the offensive coordinator at LSU.
No one really expected Kiffin to return to Alabama, not since the second week of the season when what appeared to be a disagreement during a game between Kiffin and his boss was explained by Saban as, "Those are called a** chewings."
The Crimson Tide rolled to an undefeated season and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff, and there were never any words of encouragement from Saban about Kiffin.
Some thought Kiffin was lonely in Tuscaloosa. His wife and children moved back to California, and she filed for divorce in February.
That wasn't the case. Kiffin apparently has a very social streak in him.
Most likely he was told his three years were up, that he could take his social life somewhere else. If that was the case, you can't blame Saban, who gave the 41-year-old a chance to redefine his career and get a better job.
This is the same Kiffin who was named head coach of the Oakland Raiders when he was 31, but before turning 33 he was fired during his second season with an overall record of 5-15. Owner Al Davis called him a "flat-out liar."
If he was, he was good at it and sold himself to Tennessee as its head coach, where he stayed one year, leaving behind controversy and lots of rumors. He set up camp as head coach of the USC Trojans, and it was like a hero's homecoming -- he had been an assistant for six very successful years there.
Just five games into his fourth season he was fired at 3 a.m. at an airport after the team arrived home from a 62-41 loss to Arizona State, his seventh loss in 11 games.
A few months later he was hired by Saban as offensive coordinator, and Kiffin admitted it was the only call he had received about a job opportunity.
Saban turned the offensive reins over to Kiffin, who installed a fast-paced offense.
In his three seasons as O-coordinator, the Crimson Tide are 39-3 overall, 22-2 in SEC play. They are the three-time SEC champions and won last season's national championship.
How does that not warrant something better than head coach of the Owls, who are 18-42 the past five seasons?
Houston chose its own offensive coordinator, Major Applewhite, whose resume is similar but not quite as dynamic as Kiffin's.
Oregon apparently never considered Kiffin, then there was what seemed like a logical move to offensive coordinator at LSU for his old friend, newly appointed Coach Ed Orgeron.
That didn't happen, which led to speculation Saban -- who once led LSU to a national championship -- didn't want to face Kiffin, who by now knows Alabama's defense inside and out.
Also, not the case. After the way Saban left LSU, it would probably hire anyone he said don't hire.
The only logical reason Lane Kiffin slid all the way to Florida Atlantic is the guy he looks at in the mirror every morning.
Sports on 12/15/2016