Kiffin on conference shake-ups: It's about money ... Call it what it is'

Two years ago, when leaders from the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma, as well as Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey met clandestinely to help the SEC poach the Longhorns and Sooners from the Big 12 – in the immediate aftermath of Sankey, then-Big 12 leader Bob Bowlsby and other college athletics executives trumpeting their secret meetings for a 12-team playoff – chances are, Sankey nor those school leaders gauged their athletics coaches for their thoughts on tectonic conference realignment.

Now, with sea-change never more tidal in college athletics, more and more coaches are speaking out about the impending dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference, the teetering of the Atlantic Coast Conference and then ballooning geographical footprints of the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC.

After Colorado coach Deion Sanders and Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz spoke out in recent days, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin joined the chorus on Monday.

“The end of that question is not good for college athletes,” said Kiffin, when asked about the latest developments. “I think it’s really sad for fans that want to travel to games. We’re just talking about football, here. But let’s talk about all the sports that now have to fly around the country, they play weekdays, they get back at 4 in the morning, they’ve got to go to school. Parents aren’t going to be able to see near as many games; families. You guys know I just call it what it is.”

Oregon and Washington are joining UCLA and USC in the Big Ten in a year; Arizona, Arizona State and Utah now are poised to join Colorado in the Big 12, also in 2024.

California and Stanford, as well as Oregon State and Washington State, could wind up in the ACC. Or maybe the Mountain West. It’s really anyone’s guess at this point, but West Coast-hugging schools Cal and Stanford reside approximately 2,700 miles from ACC headquarters in Charlotte, N.C.

Not to mention the whole ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE nomenclature.

Kiffin has unique perspective; he’s been a head coach in the Pac-12 from his time atop the USC program.

“It’s obviously about money,” Kiffin said. “Anybody that says these decisions, ‘Oh, they weren’t about money. Money was just a small factor.’ No, you don’t do that to all your student-athletes. That’s not for the betterment of the student-athlete, at all. So, it is what it is. It’s about money and so like we do, call it what it is.”

Kiffin, who has been outspoken about wanting to see players able to earn money from Name, Image and Likeness opportunities but also has indicated that element needs some guardrails, stepped up for student-athletes.

“Again, like, I hope nobody gets on these 17- and 18-year-olds that make money or big decisions based off NIL money,” Kiffin said, “when all these universities are doing it. And it’s just the tradition part; you’re talking about a hundred years of tradition just washed up for some more money.”

Kiffin earlier Monday publicly supported the comments from Drinkwitz in a social media post: