Kiffin’s efforts earn accolades
Former UF, NFL tackle Starks calls coach ‘awesome.’
BOCA RATON — Lane Kiffin’s tenure with the Oakland Raiders from 2007-08 was far from pretty, but one ex-NFL player offered plenty of praise for the first-year Florida Atlantic coach.
“I think (Kiffin) has been awesome,” former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, now with the Stadium streaming network, told The Palm Beach Post on Thursday. “Taking this team to bowl eligibility, the top of their division, and competing for a conference championship in Year One is unbelievable.”
Starks, a Florida graduate who played 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers and St. Louis Rams, will be on the air for Saturday’s showdown between FAU (6-3, 5-0) and Louisiana Tech (4-5, 2-3).
With a win, FAU can move closer to clinching Conference USA’s East Division and a spot in the C-USA title game next month.
Starks said he was especially impressed with Kiffin’s staff, a group he called a “testament to Kiffin’s success at Alabama” and particularly offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who has helped FAU become the nation’s No. 15 scoring offense (38.4 points per game).
Kiffin’s ability to mesh parts of his playbook with the one Briles brought over from Baylor, Starks said, is “yielding high success.”
“Coming down to Conference USA out of the Power Five head coaching (ranks) and moving into the Group of Five head coaching was a nice step back for (Kiffin),” Starks said. “You’ve seen the success because he knows what it takes at the Power Five level and took that mentality into Conference USA.”
Entering the season, Starks projected FAU as a middle-of-the-road team — one that could possibly compete in 2018 — because of the time it would take for the players to mature and buy into Kiffin’s coaching. The process was “doable,” Starks said, but there were too many questions after the program’s recent struggles.
Witnessing the play of sophomore running back Devin Singletary (American Heritage) was enough to convince Starks otherwise.
“It’s so much fun to call a game when Devin Singletary is involved,” said Starks of the highest-scoring player in FAU history. “His nickname (Motor) truly speaks to his skill set because he is a motor. The kid keeps going.”
Entering Week 11, Singletary leads the nation in rushing touchdowns (19) and is fifth in rushing yards (1,256).
Chris Kiffin honored: Defensive coordinator Chris Kiffin was one of 56 coaches nominated for the 2017 Broyles Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best assistant coach.
Lane’s younger brother, Chris, has led FAU to a nation-high 18 interceptions.