Former USC head coach Lane Kiffin is already trying to repair his image, and he received an endorsement from his friend Jim Mora during Thursday's Dan Patrick Show.
Mora, the head coach at UCLA, was asked by Patrick if he would hire Kiffin, who was fired Sept. 29.
"Yeah, but I don't have a position on my staff," Mora said. "I love my staff. I got Noel Mazzone. He's my offensive coordinator. In my opinion, he's one of the best in the business. We got great staff chemistry, but if there's ever a situation where Lane was available, and he was interested, and there was a position available, he's a guy that I think anyone would want to consider. He's a good football coach. Dan, he's a really good play caller. I've had to try to scheme up against him on defense, and when he's got the quarterback that he thinks can make it happen for him, he's tough to defend because he's not predictable. He gives you wrinkles, and he sets you up."
"As you know, Lane's a friend of mine," Mora said. "So I felt for him on a personal level, and I still do. He and I have been in contact quite often, mostly via text. I know how hard it is. I know what it feels like. I've been fired twice. I was fired from the Seahawks, which was my hometown where I was heavily invested in that job and in that community. And it hurts. Lane's the same way here (in Los Angeles). I feel for him, but we also know as coaches that it's part of the business. Very few of us get through this thing unscathed. So you have to deal with it. I always wish Lane the best. I think Lane's a good man and he'll land on his feet."
Kiffin would be wise to follow the example of Mora, who has bounced back from the low points in his career to jumpstart UCLA, which is ranked ninth heading into Saturday's game against No. 13 Stanford.
