The four-letter network is reporting that Lane Kiffin is leaving Tennessee to become the head coach at USC. Kiffin will bring most of his coaching staff, including his father, Monte, with him to California, leaving a program in limbo behind him.

At first glance, all I can say is wow.

The fact that Pete Carroll would leave the Trojans was surprising, but this news almost left me speechless. I had suggested Kiffin as a potential replacement for Carroll in a discussion at the office on Monday, but I did not expect him to actually leave Tennessee after only one controversial season. As far as the Vols are concerned, this is terrible news. Just weeks before national signing day, the school is left without a head coach and face of the program. Similar to the recruiting concerns facing USC after Carroll decided to leave for the NFL, there is a legitimate chance that many of the program’s top prep recruits will now end up going elsewhere. Indeed, unless the team can scrounge together a head coach in the next few days, the strength of the recruiting class will likely take a major hit. UT has announced that Kippy Brown, one of the few coaching leftovers, will serve as interim head coach. And I Imagine that it is going to be quite a challenge for a guy named Kippy to ensure that Kiffin’s top recruits end up coming to Knoxville.

Plus, Kiffin’s decision to leave could not have come at a worse time in regards to replacement prospects. A month ago, there were several legitimate coaching candidates looking for better jobs. Most of the names have now found homes, however. Chip Kelly has landed at Notre Dame. Charlie Strong is now running the show at Louisville. While there are some other rising coaches who could end up with the Vols, the pickings are not quite as good as they were just weeks ago. Three of the more talented coaches available—Mike Leach, Jim Leavitt and Mark Mangino—all bring significant baggage from their recent dismissals and are unlikely to be considered given the PR consequences.

Also, Kiffin is easy to hate, but he had the program headed in the right direction. If he had stayed good on his word and honored his commitment, there is a strong chance that UT could have remerged as a power program in the Southeastern Conference; it certainly can still happen, of course. This past season was a rebuilding year, but the team made great strides and seemed poised to continue to make progress in the near future. It takes time for a coach to implement his system, and, if I were a Vols fan, I would feel ripped off that I never got to see what Kiffin could have ended up doing.

For USC, I like the move a lot. Kiffin really is a great fit for that program—and, jokes aside, not because of his tendency to ignore NCAA rules like the man he is replacing allegedly did before him. He is a West Coast guy who should help the school continue to bring in elite, high-level talent in the recruiting process. As Carroll showed, building a program by consistently attracting top talent is the most important factor in college coaching, more so than Xs and Os. As well, he is bringing with him an elite coaching staff with him and has familiarity with the current system and program as a whole. That is why I really like the hire for the school, and especially the timing. Earlier today when Jack Del Rio announced his intention to stay with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the commitment statuses for many of the Trojans’ recruits were up in the air. The hiring of Kiffin, though, should ultimately save the class. For that, USC athletic director Mike Garrett deserves a ton of credit.

Kiffin does not come without a few red flags, of course. For one, he is now on his third job in as many seasons. It would be difficult to really fault him for not getting along with crazy Al Davis during his brief tenure as coach of the Oakland Raiders, as the messy divorce was largely believed to be Davis’ fault. But he then went on to offend nearly every other school in the SEC with misguided comments and taunts after being hired at Tennessee. That hurt his credibility a bit. Also, his recruiting methods at UT came under scrutiny and were investigated by the NCAA and SEC earlier this winter. Kiffin considered it a compliment, pointing to the strength of his top-ranked class. Now there is this.

I really cannot blame Kiffin for leaving for greener pastures, since USC is the prized collegiate coaching job in the nation and he is being paid a ton of money. Plus, I would rather live in Los Angeles over Knoxville without thinking twice about it. But, to me, he really does just come off as a snake, and, if I were a high school recruit and had him promising me the world in the living room, I would not trust him for a second. With this move, it is obvious that he is simply looking out for himself and family above all else and Vols fans have every right to hate his guts. Just like Miami Dolphins fans hate Nick Saban and Louisville fans hate Bobby Petrino to this day.

After all of the coaching moves in college football over the past five years, I guess nothing should really come as a surprise anymore. Kiffin to USC, though, kind of came out of left field. I guess the real question is why athletic directors do not insist on stricter buyout penalties.