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LSU coach Lane Kiffin previously credited Nick Saban with helping him make the decision to leave Ole Miss and take the LSU job in November, but has now shared details of the conversation he had with the former Alabama coach that led to his choice to head to Baton Rouge.

Saban won a national title at LSU before an ill-fated NFL tenure with the Miami Dolphins prior to his legendary career with the Crimson Tide. Saban won six national championships and nine SEC titles over 17 seasons at Alabama from 2007-23.

Kiffin served as Saban's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014-16, which included a national championship. Alabama fired Kiffin before the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game after he had accepted the Florida Atlantic job and was splitting time for each.

"When [LSU] came in and met with me, it was just different," Kiffin said Tuesday. "The feeling was different and as I sat there and told the story at the press conference, I was torn. When I called Coach Saban and talked it through with him, he said, 'you know, Lane, you'll always regret if you don't go to LSU. It's the best job in America.' And when he said that, it really made the decision for me.

"As I've looked at it, it has pushed me. It has got me out of a comfort zone that we were doing amazing things but you come here and feel the power of the place and it drives you every day to even go to another level."

Saban said on College GameDay after Kiffin's departure to LSU that his former play-caller was initially "confused" on what he wanted to do.

"I never tell anybody what they should do," Saban said on ESPN. "I just try to bring some thought into it so that they can make good decisions for themselves and their family and their future."

Kiffin left the Rebels before the start of the playoff and was not allowed to coach Ole Miss in the postseason after a ruling by athletic director Keith Carter. The Rebels, with new coach Pete Golding (Kiffin's defensive coordinator in Oxford) leading the way, blew out No. 11 Tulane in the first round and upset No. 3 Georgia in the quarterfinals before falling to No. 10 Miami in the CFP semifinals.

Kiffin went 55-19 over six seasons at Ole Miss. One of the highest-profile coaches in college football since joining the Rebels in 2020, Kiffin led the program to four 10-win seasons and three finishes of No. 11 or better in the AP Top 25. LSU, meanwhile, fired Brian Kelly after the eighth game of his fourth season on the job, opening the door for its pursuit of Kiffin. 

Florida also came after Kiffin, but LSU was the more attractive destination. And Saban's advice clearly held weight. 

"You know, coach Saban kind of coached at another place in this conference, so I can't ... I can't really say exactly what he said, but I'll say I think the world of coach Saban, and I respect him," Kiffin said at his introductory press conference in December. "And so, there's a reason I'm here."