Lane Kiffin Position: Head Coach

From his introductory press conference -- the day he began "rolling my sleeves up and going to work" -- Lane Kiffin's guiding principle for Tennessee football has kept him mindful of its storied past.

And focused squarely on its future.

Kiffin, who becomes just the third head coach at UT in the last 33 years, had a plan for Tennessee's expectations even before he made his arrival in Knoxville. His blueprint for an all-star coaching staff already has come to fruition. And that team of one-time rivals has begun formulating its platform for championship competition not only in the rabid Southeastern Conference but across the nation.

"I'm not promising you how many wins, how many championships; I can't do that," Kiffin said back on Dec. 1, 2008. "But I want the Tennessee family to know this: no one is going to outwork me as a head coach and no one is going to outwork our staff. That's the promise I'm giving you. The wins will come after that. You're going to see it; you're going to feel it throughout the state. It starts today."

Kiffin joins the Vols as the former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and former offensive coordinator at Southern California under head coach Pete Carroll.

Kiffin's turn with Oakland was his first head coaching assignment, and his concepts moving the football paid immediate dividends. The season before Kiffin's arrival, Oakland was last in the NFL in scoring (10.5), total offense (246.2), yards per play (4.2), touchdown passes (7) and turnover margin (minus-23). The Raiders ranked 31st in passing offense and 29th in rushing.

In 2007, Kiffin bumped production up to 25th in scoring at 17.7 points per game -- an increase of more than a touchdown -- and a whopping sixth in rushing at 130.4. The sudden improvement was felt throughout the league.

"Coach Kiffin is a perfect fit," Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said. "He brings a wealth of experience he's accumulated at a very young age. He has a brilliant football mind, and there's no doubt in my mind he's going to be successful."

Those ideas were formulated at Fisher's alma mater, USC, where Kiffin presided over the vaunted offensive system that featured a long, medium and short-range passing game coupled with a power running attack. He began as an assistant from 2001-04, then was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004 and served as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for 2005 and 2006.

USC led the nation in offense in 2005 and in both of his years as recruiting coordinator had the best recruiting classes in the nation. Those efforts, along with his play-calling, structure and offensive design, helped the Trojans to back-to-back national college football championships and produced two Heisman Trophy winners -- Matt Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005.

Under Kiffin's leadership in 2006, the Trojans finished first in the Pacific-10 Conference in passing efficiency, produced two 1,000-yard receivers and a 3,000-yard passer. In 2005, Kiffin was named one of the nation's top 25 recruiters and served as coordinator for an offense that ranked in the top six nationally in every offensive category. The Trojans scored 50 points a school-record seven times.

Kiffin's play-calling and offensive design enabled Bush to capture the 2005 Heisman and the Trojans to become the first school to have a 3,000-yard passer, a pair of 1,000-yard rushers and a 1,000-yard receiver. In 2004, Kiffin coached on a staff that led Southern California to its second straight national title. He was in charge of a passing attack that helped Leinart win the Heisman with 3,322 yards passing and 33 touchdowns.

Kiffin also mentored All-America wide receivers Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett, along with such notable USC and NFL pass-catchers as Keary Colbert, Steve Smith and Kareem Kelly.

The Trojans were a modest 6-6 in 2001, Kiffin's first year on the staff, but went a remarkable 59-6 over his final five seasons in Los Angeles. That magical run under head coach Carroll resulted in five straight BCS bowl appearances -- twice in the BCS National Championship Game.

"I have no doubt that Lane will do great things at UT," Carroll said. "He handled all of our national recruiting at USC and brought us great players during our championship seasons. While serving as our offensive coordinator, we had the best offense in the history of football in 2005."

Kiffin, who is 34, was the youngest head coach in modern NFL history and now stands as the youngest head coach in major college football. To help make the transition to Knoxville and the SEC, Kiffin assembled one of the most impressive assistant coaching staff's in football history.

His father, Monte, takes over as Tennessee's defensive coordinator after 26 brilliant seasons in the NFL, the last 13 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kiffin was the longest tenured defensive coordinator in the NFL and, as developer of the Tampa Cover 2 defense, is generally considered one of the modern era's best defensive minds.

"As a coach with a background in offense, it was imperative to find the best defensive coordinator we could," Lane Kiffin said. "We feel we got the best defensive coach at any level. The addition of Coach Kiffin not only puts us in position to play great defense, but also gives us the ability to sign the best defensive players in the nation if they want to be prepared for the NFL every day they are here."

The Vols also added Ed Orgeron of the New Orleans Saints (and formerly head coach at Mississippi) as assistant head coach, defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; Jim Chaney from the St. Louis Rams as offensive coordinator; Lance Thompson from Alabama coaching linebackers; Frank Wilson from Southern Mississippi coaching wide receivers; Willie Mack Garza from North Dakota State coaching defensive backs; Eddie Gran from Auburn coaching running backs; James Cregg from the Oakland Raiders coaching the offensive line and tight ends; and David Reaves from South Carolina coaching quarterbacks.

Six of Tennessee's nine assistant coaches previously served as recruiting coordinators.

Before going to USC, Kiffin was on the staff of Tom Coughlin's Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000 as a defensive quality control coach under Dom Capers. The season before, Kiffin was a graduate assistant at Colorado State, working with the offensive line.

Kiffin played quarterback at Fresno State for three seasons (1994-96), where his position coach was current California head coach Jeff Tedford. Kiffin began his coaching career at his alma mater as a student assistant, working parts of two seasons with quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs.

"Lane Kiffin has prepared himself through hard work and preparation and has become one of the brightest minds in football," Tedford said. "He understands what it takes to reach a championship level and has the passion and work ethic to make it happen."

Kiffin takes over the Vols' helm from Phillip Fulmer, who compiled a 152-52 record for Tennessee over 17 seasons that included two SEC crowns and the 1998 BCS national championship.

"He's done an unbelievable job here and I can't even imagine what he's gone through giving 35 years of his life to this university," Kiffin said. "I'm extremely honored to follow him. In my opinion, the University of Tennessee football program wouldn't be anywhere near where it is today without Coach Fulmer. As long as I am here, as long as you guys will have me here, my arms will always be open to Coach Fulmer and his entire family. Our doors will be open because he is a special part of this university. There's no way we'd be here today without him.

A native of Bloomington, Minn., Kiffin is married to Layla Reaves Kiffin and they have three children: daughters Landry and Presley, and newborn son Knox.