Lane Kiffin\u2019s booze-filled past during his three seasons on Nick Saban\u2019s staff in Alabama is making waves before his LSU head coaching debut, when the Tigers host Clemson in Baton Rouge on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Vanity Fair published an excerpt<\/a> Wednesday from the John Talty book, \u201cLane Being Lane: The Story of Lane Kiffin, College Football\u2019s Agent of Chaos,\u201d which details Kiffin\u2019s rocky transition from Alabama to FAU in 2016 \u2014 and his alleged risqu\u00e9 behavior at Tuscaloosa-area bars. <\/p>\n On at least one occasion, an Alabama staffer had to go to Innisfree Irish Pub to retrieve a golf cart Kiffin had left there the night before. <\/p>\n Head coach Lane Kiffin of the LSU Tigers in action during fall practice at Tiger Stadium on August 22, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. University Images via Getty Imag<\/p>\n \u201c[Innisfree co-owner Derick] Purdy would call me and say, your boy Lane\u2019s back in here asking where the hotties are. \u2018Can you introduce me to hotties?\u2019\u201d former LSU QB and Alabama assistant coach Josh Booty said.<\/p>\n The book claims Saban had a member of his staff warn Kiffin to stay away from college students and sorority girls after his wife, Terry Saban, had heard through friends that Kiffin \u2014 then living separately from his wife Layla and their children, who were in California \u2014 was out and about on the town trying to pick up women.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college,\u201d Saban said, according to one former coach. <\/p>\n \u201cJust keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they\u2019ve graduated college or are working a job.\u201d<\/p>\n Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and head coach Nick Saben walk during the pre-game of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Saturday, December 31, 2016. Getty Images<\/p>\n In 2015, rumors swirled of Kiffin being fired by Alabama for an affair, and TMZ reported <\/a>at the time that the matter set Saban off.<\/p>\n The book also states that Kiffin\u2019s off-field antics <\/a>fueled a disconnect between him and Saban, and stunted his growth for opportunities.<\/p>\n Kiffin\u00a0announced the couple\u2019s divorce\u00a0<\/a>in February 2016, telling Fox Sports at the time that their split was a mutual decision, and co-parenting their three kids was their priority.<\/p>\n Layla officially filed for divorce a month later, citing irreconcilable differences. The pair stirred reconciliation rumors\u00a0during a trip to New York City<\/a>\u00a0in December 2024, and Kiffin appeared to hard-launch their reunion<\/a>\u00a0on social media in March 2025.<\/p>\n New Alpha Phi sorority sisters at the University of Alabama run to their sorority house after opening their bids inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n The book paints a picture of Kiffin turning to booze because of the strain on his personal life and the stress of his disconnect with Saban.<\/p>\n A friend of Kiffin\u2019s during that time said he was afraid Kiffin was going to \u201cdrink himself to death,\u201d the book states.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen him on the floor crying like a goddamn baby,\u201d the friend said of when Kiffin faced repercussions from mistakes that impacted his family. \u201cAnd then I\u2019ve seen him doing shit that\u2019s like \u2018you got to put your dick back in your pants.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Kiffin allegedly used a fake name when he was recognized in local bars, and would tell women his name was Joey Freshwater. <\/p>\n Lane Kiffin, (C) poses for a photo with LSU president Dr. Wade Rousse, (L) LSU interim athletic director Verge Ausberry, (R) his wife, Layla and their kids at an press conference on December 1, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThe Joey Freshwater thing, it got out there for a reason,\u201d said Trevor Hewett, a former employee at Innisfree. \u201cLane was visible publicly in a time where Alabama coaches were not visible publicly. The other coaches just never went out, and Lane was definitely different in that aspect. <\/p>\n \u201cLane was going to be in public at times, sometimes at very odd times during the season. The fact he made it out of Tuscaloosa without anything becoming super public is wild.\u201d <\/p>\n Kiffin denied that nickname in a 2017 interview with OutKick\u2019s Clay Travis. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve used Jimmy Chestnut but not Joey Freshwater,\u201d Kiffin said at the time. \u201cSomeone told me Joey Freshwater is the best thing I\u2019ve ever heard, and I said, \u2018Well, his friend is Jimmy Chestnut and is just as good.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide converses with head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels prior to facing each other at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Getty Images<\/p>\n Kiffin, who has been sober since January 2021, is open about his past with drinking. <\/p>\n