Lane Kiffin should be Texas Tech’s No. 1 target, here’s why

There are a variety of adjectives people use to describe Lane Kiffin—demonstrative, brilliant, egotistical, zany, magnetic.

You know who else could be described with the same words?

Mike Leach. You know, the Mike Leach who brought Texas Tech to a level of relevance it had never before experienced. The one who recruited future NFL all-pro players and upset championship-caliber teams regularly.

So before we rush to judgment on Kiffin, take some time to think. Isn’t he exactly what Texas Tech needs?

He has a strong personality

Lubbock is a lovely place, but it doesn’t exactly pop out on the map. When recruits are courted by schools like Texas and TCU, they are directed to the allure of vibrant, booming cities. How can Texas Tech counter that tactic?

By having a vibrant, booming coach, of course.

Enter Lane Kiffin.

This is the kind of comedic, fun, energized genius Texas Tech needs to contend for Big 12 championships. Lane Kiffin doesn’t care about being cool. He doesn’t care about looks. He doesn’t care what other people think about him. He cares about winning.

He’s a world-class recruiter

Kiffin signed a top-10 class in each year of his tenure at USC, and when he was hired by FAU, he immediately went to work and signed the top recruiting class in Conference USA.

When Kiffin was at Tennessee, he told top prospect Alshon Jeffery that if the 6’3 wideout chose the Gamecocks, he would end up pumping gas for the rest of his life like all the other players from that state who had gone to South Carolina.

That’s the kind of coach I want. I want a guy who’s on fire for his program, and he’s willing to avowedly disrespect other programs to land a hot prospect. Sometimes, that’s what it takes. Nice guys finish last. That’s just the way the world works.

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He’s a villain

Embrace the villainy. Texas Tech fits that role well. Texas wants to go to the national championship? Here’s Michael Crabtree making a sideline grab to make sure that doesn’t happen.

No. 3 Oklahoma wants to win its 40th consecutive game at home? Nah, Seth Doege will toss four touchdown passes and break up that streak for you.

Heisman trophy candidate Geno Smith wants to lead No. 5 West Virginia into Lubbock for an easy win? Yeah, we’ll hand you this 49-14 beatdown that will send you so deep into despondence you’ll lose the next four games.

See what I mean? That’s when Texas Tech is at its best, when it’s the villain. That’s when the Red Raiders thrive. And who better to lead a team of villains than Lane Kiffin, who accused Urban Meyer of cheating and later openly admitted he lied about it?

Your move, Kirby Hocutt. Make sure it’s the right one.