While Deion, Shedeur, and Shilo Sanders may be the most glamorous father-son trio in college football right now, the OG torchbearers of that bond remain Lane Kiffin and his late, legendary dad, Monte Kiffin. Look, Lane’s coaching career wasn’t accidental; he rode through his father’s efforts, who put his legacy on the back burner to pave his son’s way. Today, you see Lane taking his team through a 10-3 run because it’s not just his hard work or luck; it was his father’s grinding behind the curtain that made it all a walk in the park.

Look, Lane Kiffin’s dad was having his best time at Tampa Bay. Monte Kiffin’s defense powered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl win in 2003, establishing him as a top NFL strategist. It’s well known the kind of love Monte Kiffin had for Tampa Bay; he turned down the 49ers HC job just to be part of that team. Yet, when son Lane got the Tennessee head coaching job, Monte didn’t hesitate. He traded the pros for Knoxville, becoming his son’s defensive coordinator. At Tennessee, he was among the highest-paid assistant coaches, earning $1.2 million, plus a $300,000 bonus. But he gave up that too, all for Lane Kiffin.

And just like any honored son, Lane Kiffin knows everything his father had to go through just to push his career. He makes his feelings loud and clear on the Pivot Podcast: “Obviously I knew this situation, but it didn’t really—like when you’re in it and I get the Tennessee job and he comes and all that—I’m grateful for it. And it’s me, him, Ed Orgeron, and we’re like, ‘Do this Tennessee thing,’ and everything. But then it hits me when Derrick Brooks is up there talking at his service and he tells the story—like they’d been 13 years, he’d been his only coordinator—and he calls Derrick in to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to leave.’ And he said, ‘The only person I would leave for is my son.'” Well, only a father can make such sacrifices for his son. Period.

Lane Kiffin also talks about how Monte Kiffin shifted his priorities and made sure his son’s career got the momentum it needed. “And he left that for me and didn’t even think—like, you know, like, ‘Man, you are leaving Tampa Bay.’ I didn’t think at the time how much he was really leaving and what it was to him, you know, and leaving those players and his home. But he did it without even—like, just like that. ‘Of course I’ll come.’ I mean – he took half his salary, you know, to come and never even wanted to negotiate anything.” Kiffin said.

Monte Kiffin’s mentorship ignited Lane Kiffin’s most successful coaching period. Their 2009 season at Tennessee, where Monte’s defense ranked 12th against the pass and 22nd overall, instilled a winning formula Lane carried to USC. By 2011, USC’s defense soared, cracking the Top 20 nationally in rushing and scoring defense. They held eight of twelve opponents to 17 points or less, a testament to Monte’s influence. The results clearly show a father’s wisdom, propelling his son’s success.

Even now, Lane coaches with his father’s guidance, honoring his legacy not only through victories but also through his leadership, adaptability, and unwavering dedication. But the pain of losing his father still haunts him.

Lane Kiffin’s emotional side over dad Monte Kiffin’s loss

Well, we all know the kind of love Lane Kiffin and his late father, Monte Kiffin, shared when Lane made sure he followed his father’s word when he first took the SEC Media Days stage following his father’s death on 11 July 2024. Monte Kiffin used to write simple phrases on a chalkboard for his players during his coaching days, like “Show Up,” and remembering all of them, Lane said, “The first rule of getting better is you’ve got to show up and do your job. And that’s what I’m trying to do here.”

And now, going back to memory lane, Lane Kiffin talks about how his father left a major impact on people. “With him, like… his impact on people—and what I figured out after his passing, by all the people down there in Tampa, you know, and I knew them already, so I kind of knew the stories there… And I mean, you got four gold jackets speaking at his funeral that ran that defense. And the way they talk about him, how he impacted them”.

He didn’t just stop at that; he further talks about how he went to Lexington, where his father, Monte Kiffin, grew up, and how people still cherish his presence. “Then I go back to Lexington, Nebraska, where he’s from, for the burial, and the people at the gas station there that had known him forever… a trainer at Nebraska that he still called once a year for 40 years. Or former players. Like nothing was transactional. And that – that is rare.” The best part is that Monte Kiffin was a legend for a reason, as he never expected anything in return for all he did for others.

“He had all these relationships, and the way he treated people wasn’t to get anything back. And I find that really hard, especially nowadays, to find. People are transactional in their relationships. They’re going to do this, but they’re doing it because of what it gives them. And he just really helped people regardless of who you are. And the stories come out. There’ll be a student assistant here that—he would tell me after the passing, like, ‘Hey, you know, your dad… he told me…’ A young kid used to work in equipment, and he’s like, ‘Your dad told me I was going to be special.’” said Lane Kiffin.

All these incidents made him realize that Monte Kiffin wasn’t just a great coach, leader, or father but also an exceptional human being. And that’s the legacy Lane Kiffin’s carrying forward.