Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin officially “mutually agreed” to part ways before the 2016 national championship game, but reporting at the time made it clear Saban essentially pushed Kiffin out because he felt Kiffin was too distracted by his new head‑coaching job at Florida Atlantic and not meeting his preparation standards for Alabama’s playoff run.

Context of the split

• After the 2016 regular season, Kiffin accepted the head‑coaching job at FAU but stayed on as Alabama’s offensive coordinator through the College Football Playoff.

• Following a shaky offensive performance in the Peach Bowl semifinal vs. Washington, Saban was reportedly frustrated with penalties, delays, and overall sloppiness on offense.

Saban’s main issues

• Saban believed Kiffin’s attention was divided: Kiffin was assembling his FAU staff, recruiting for his new school, and even bringing coaching candidates around during Alabama’s postseason prep, which Saban saw as a distraction and below his “Bama standard.”

• There were also reports Saban was irritated by Kiffin being late to meetings and by some public comments Kiffin made that created off‑field noise, reinforcing Saban’s view that his focus and professionalism were slipping at a critical time.

How it ended

• Before the national title game against Clemson, Saban announced that Kiffin would not continue with the team and that Steve Sarkisian would call plays, framing it publicly as a decision made in the best interest of the team’s preparation.

• So while the official language was “mutual,” the underlying reason was Saban’s belief that Kiffin’s divided loyalties and lack of full focus on Alabama’s game prep made it necessary to move on immediately.