So, here's what you can assume with Lane, and you have to decide what's worth it:
1. Players are gonna love to play for this guy. Reports came out after Lane left that players truly loved him, that they felt they could approach him, and he was fun. The black jerseys on Halloween were amazing...when they came out in orange and then again in Black?? Whoa. That place EXPLODED, and we destroyed SC.
2. He's gonna recruit well, but at a cost. Kiffins classes were filled with kids that lacked discipline in the classroom and off the field. Nukeese, Janzen come to mind. Butch kept us at least for the most part out of trouble and a good APR. You're gonna get talented kids to knoxville...but can you keep them there without them flunking out or getting locked up?
3. He's gonna have us in the news for things he says...but it'll be confidence, not stupidity. Lane would never say such things as "champions of life." He had us in the news for saying "We are gonna be singing Rocky Top all night when we beat Florida."
4. He's gonna have a great offense. However, who will he get as defensive coordinator now that daddy isn't coming with him? That would be important.
I think Lane has grown up. I think Bama was good for him. He is still gonna get the PR that gets his program attention, but he NEEDED that to get little old FAU in the news.
Let's be real. Dude left us for his dream job. After thinking it'd never come open and it came to him. Nobody would turn that down. And the only reason we were mad was because we saw things trending upward.
Bring him back. I don't care. Bring the fun back to Knoxville. Let's get some swagger back.