A look back at Lane Kiffin and a what-if he had been hired as coach of the Gophers

Retrospectives tend to be among the more entertaining pieces you will read because the passage of time allows for a much more honest recounting of the past. That's the case with an excellent ESPN.com piece about Lane Kiffin's tumultuous year as head coach in Tennessee a decade ago.

Kiffin bolted for the USC job after that one season. All of it is worth a read — and it's also a reminder that this could have played out right here in Minnesota.

A Chip Scoggins Star Tribune byline story from 12 years ago notes that Kiffin interviewed for the Gophers job on Jan. 12, 2007.

A few days later, of course, Minnesota hired Tim Brewster. And about a week after that, Kiffin was hired as head coach of the NFL's Raiders even though he was only 31 at the time. He lasted two years there and one at Tennessee.

His tenure with the Gophers might have been just as brief. But it would have been memorable.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.