<
        >

          College Football Nation Blog

          Decoding Lane Kiffin's latest Twitter adventure

          • Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterMay 17, 2016, 12:15 PM ET
            Close
              College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
            Follow on X

          In many ways, Twitter is perfect for Lane Kiffin.

          The social media platform allows Kiffin to entertain, inform, educate, display rental car license plates, dab as a Bitmoji, and, of course, troll other programs. It provides a porthole into one of college football's most polarizing personalities, usually muzzled by Alabama's restrictions on assistant coaches speaking to the media. Communicating through the media never seemed to be Kiffin's strength, anyway, especially during his turbulent 14 months as Tennessee's coach. While Twitter technically is social media, it gives Kiffin a platform for one-way communication, to show more of himself without having to explain himself.

          The Alabama offensive coordinator has taken full advantage in recent weeks. After limited tweets during the season and spring practice, Kiffin has stepped up his Twitter game (@Lane_Kiffin) during the spring evaluation period, as he has been on the road hunting for talent.

          Beginning on April 22, with a nod to his Rocky Top past, Kiffin has tweeted more than 60 times.

          Here's a look at some of his more memorable dispatches, and an attempt to decode them.

          Lane Kiffin, fashion icon. We have the Charlie Chaplin-style hat, the denim jacket and jeans with the cuffed pant legs. Are those Doc Martens? Did Charlie Chaplin ever hit the dab? There's just so much happening here.

          Back on the Southern California coast, where Kiffin spent his early coaching career at USC and then later as the Trojans head man. The "No Shoes Nation" hat is a nod to country music star Kenny Chesney, a noted Tennessee fan (although not bashful about wearing other teams' swag). Is Kiffin subtweeting the Vols fans again, while also reminding USC fans he's still lurking on the beach? Genius.

          Who doesn't love an "X-Files" reference? Maybe Kiffin and David Duchovny are Hollywood buds. Duchovny is a Yankees fan and played a year of college basketball, but has no known college football ties. Maybe Kiffin is a big sci-fi guy. That would explain a lot.

          There's the hat again! Did his mom pick it out for him?

          On a visit to Hawaii, Kiffin stopped by L&L, the popular food franchise that started in Honolulu. L&L is best known for the plate lunch, which consists of two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni salad and proteins ranging from pork chuck wrapped in taro leaf to chicken katsu to hamburger steak. Kiffin is wise not to neglect Alabama's native foods in a previous retweet but shows the versatility of his palate here. Has anyone opened an L&L franchise in T-Town?

          Kiffin turned 41 on May 9, so naturally he wants ask his adoring masses about potential gifts. The tin can telephone might be a reference to his age and newfound maturity. The responses to the tweet are mostly positive. Bitmoji fashion note: Kiffin is still in his traditional visor headgear, not quite ready for the top hat.

          A nice shoutout to 2Pac's "California Love." Also, Kiffin doesn't mess around with his wheels in the Golden State, going with a Jaguar. Other license plate photos include a Cadillac SUV, a Chevy Suburban and a Jeep Wrangler. Alabama's private plane also makes a few appearances in Kiffin's timeline. Because that's how he rolls.

          The Kiffin entertainment on Twitter isn't confined to Lane. His family has made guest appearances often. This appears to be Lane's son, Knox, performing for Alabama's batch of NFL draft picks. Nice moves, kid.

          Kiffin was a bitmoji machine on April 27, dabbing and praying and then healing the world with an outfit that would make Danny Kanell smile. No wonder he was wiped out at the end of the day.

          This was tweeted on a Monday, not a Thursday, but it certainly qualifies as a cool throwback picture. It appears to show a young Lane with his father, longtime coach Monte Kiffin, dressed in masked cowboy attire. Judging by the NC State banner hanging on the horse, this came from the early 1980s, when Monte coached the Wolfpack.

          Kiffin has carved a unique place in coach trolling, and he couldn't resist this opportunity along Interstate 85 in Alabama, reminding Auburn fans of Alabama's wins in the past two Iron Bowls. Only one problem: Alabama won 55-44 in 2014, not 55-19. Perhaps Kiffin was thinking about USC's win against Oklahoma in the 2005 Orange Bowl, which gave the Trojans a national title. It's hard to keep them all straight. It's also a good thing he wasn't pulled over.

          So what's next? Who knows? We just can't wait to see.