“I’m going to fire you”: When super-agent Jimmy Sexton faced Nick Saban’s wrath over ‘narcissistic prick’ Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin used to work under former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Kiffin was the offensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide for three seasons (2014-2016).

Saban and Kiffin did not see eye to eye, and it took the work of Jimmy Sexton to bring them together. The so-called "super agent" has a chapter dedicated to them in a new book where he talks about how they truly felt about each other. “The Price: What It Takes to Win In College Football’s Era of Chaos” is set for release on Aug. 27.

The Saban-Kiffin relationship can be summarized from an extract in the book that was obtained by AL.com. In it, Kiffin reportedly told Sexton that he would be receiving a call from Nick Saban, who was angry at that time. This was because Kiffin told Saban during a meeting that:

“He (Saban) didn’t know what he was talking about.”

A few minutes later, Saban did call and told him:

"I'm going to fire you, Jimmy, for ever talking me into hiring that narcissistic prick," Nick Saban to Jimmy Sexton.

Lane Kiffin at Alabama

Lane Kiffin played a key role in modernizing the Crimson Tide's offense. He was able to help turn the offense from being dependent on the run game to more reliant on passing.

At the time of hiring, Saban also saw the need for modernization and was happy to welcome Kiffin to the team which he discussed in 2022:

“When I met with him (Kiffin) about coming here, I said we have to change, we have to study and we have to figure out all these RPOs and all this spread offense and these motions and all these things we do," Saban said via a radio show interview per AL.com.

However, the praise was short-lived. The book also features another incident where Saban was talking to one of his assistants about Kiffin and he said:

"Refused to adapt (Saban’s) preferred approach" and said, "I ain’t never had a f------ coach I can’t control."

In the end, Kiffin was fired from his role just before the 2017 National Championship game. He was already set to leave Tuscaloosa, having accepted the head coach job at Florida Athletic, but wanted to stay on until the playoffs ended.

It did not happen and further cemented the rocky relationship that Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban had.