Lane Kiffin’s Defense: The Harsh Reality of the NCAA Recruiting Window

Over the weekend, the College Football world was shocked when Head Coach Lane Kiffin decided to leave Ole Miss, in the midst of trying to win a National Championship, to go to LSU. And, whether you agree with the move or not, I think we can all agree the whole thing has been messy.

According to reports, Lane & Ole Miss got into because Lane wanted to continue coaching the team this season. The school's AD not only didn't let that happen, he banned Kiffin from attending a team meeting. Ole Miss fans were loudly booing him and screaming expletives as he boarded a plane for Baton Rouge. The whole situation got pretty ugly.

Now, a lot of people blame Lane for how things played out. But, is it REALLY his fault? Let's take a look.

Should Ole Miss Have Let Lane Kiffin Coach in the College Playoffs?

This was one of the issues that made the whole Lane Kiffin situation so messy: Lane wanted to continue coaching his team, the school didn't. And look, I can see both sides of it.

For Lane, he built this team. They just had their best season in school history. He wanted to 'finish the story', but wasn't allowed to.

On the flipside, it sounds like the AD was worried that Lane having continued contact with the players and coaches because he could potentially 'poach' talent. Which, I get is a genuine concern. BUT, he recruited one heck of a group of athletes and put together a successful coaching staff. Those kids and coaches aren't going to forget that just because Lane is gone. Watching this play out the way it did, may drive some of those guys to LSU.

And it's not exactly unprecedented that a coach stays after taking another job. It's not normal, but it's not like this has never happened before. In fact, Jon Sumrall who left Tulane for Florida, will coach Tulane until they're eliminated.

However, while it does happen, here's why that could be a problem...especially for the team who hired the coach.

Folks are Reexamining the College Football Calendar Following Lane Kiffin's Departure

One thing I've seen said ALOT online is "If Lane really cared about Ole Miss, he wouldn't have accepted any job until after the playoffs". Well, in theory, that probably would be the right way to handle things. Unfortunately, that's not reality.

The reality is that college teams need a head coach in place by December 1st at the latest. Why? The answer is simple: the NCAA Calendar.

For those that don't know, the NCAA Transfer Portal Window is only open for 15 days starting the day after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Also, during this time, the recruiting window opens back up for on-campus visits. Which means colleges can't wait until after the playoffs to start a coaching search. They need to give their guy at least a month to start looking at needs and figuring out an attack plan.

So, can you REALLY blame the coach? Or the Universities, for that matter? If you want to be successful, you need someone leading the way in the portal and on the recruiting front.

If you want things to change, maybe the NCAA needs to act like every other organization where the offseason doesn't start until AFTER the current season ends.