Forget that: Lane Kiffin is done at Alabama after all, won't be at title game

Kiffin was looking into whether he can assist the Crimson Tide from the press box, but Saban says no

Update: Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Alabama coach Nick Saban shot down the notion that recently departed offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would help out the Crimson Tide offense in any way during the national championship. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Saban said Kiffin wanting to assist in the coaches box was "not something we're interested in pursuing." He also said "it's not possible from a legal standpoint" for it to happen.

Kiffin may have a hard time breaking away, but Saban clearly does not.

Original story

On Monday, the surprising announcement was made that Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin would not coach with the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff National Championship against Clemson. The chief reason for the exit, at least according to Kiffin and coach Nick Saban, was that preparation for the semifinal win over Washington suffered because Kiffin was splitting his time between game preparation and building a program at Florida Atlantic, where he will be the new coach.

Steve Sarkisian, the one-time USC coach who succeeded Kiffin in Los Angeles and will also serve as
Alabama's offensive coordinator next season, will call the plays for next Monday's game. However, Kiffin may still have a role in helping Alabama game plan.

Speaking on ESPN's "Mike & Mike In the Morning," Kiffin said he's inquiring about being in the press box during the game to assist with the offense's game plan. In essence, he would be flipping roles with Sarkisian, who was an offensive analyst for the Tide before his anticipated promotion.

"We do not know legally whether we can do that," Kiffin said. "Sidelines for sure would not [be allowed], but the press box would be ideal because that would exchange Sark and I what his role was and then what my role was. Then he can come down to the field and coach the players."

Kiffin also maintained the decision to move on as the offensive coordinator was done mutually in the best interest of the players.

"I just thought that it wasn't the best thing for the players," Kiffin said Tuesday. "I saw Kirby [Smart] struggle with it a year ago, and I don't know if that's why we didn't play very good in the same game on defense. But I didn't want to have that feeling that we lost a game because I wasn't 100 percent focused.

"I couldn't live with that and for these kids and how hard they've worked to get to this point."

It's common for a coach to move on to his new job once he's accepted it, completely breaking ties with his former employer. Kiffin opted to stay on as long as he could, and clearly, it didn't work. A reduced role may take a lot of responsibilities off of Kiffin's plate, but he has a new job. If he's not heavily involved in the everyday planning for the national title, it might be best to make a clean break.

Wink of the CBS eye to 247Sports