Reaves remains in Kiffin’s wake
FORMER GAMECOCKS ASSISTANT WAS LEFT BEHIND AFTER HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW’S DEPARTURE
Like the rest of the college football world, David Reaves was as surprised as anyone when Lane Kiffin bolted from Tennessee after one year to go to Southern Cal.
The only difference: Reaves is Kiffin’s brother-in-law and had an office down the hall from Kiffin in Tennessee’s football building.
But Reaves will not be joining his brother-in-law in Los Angeles. While Kiffin finishes assembling his Southern Cal staff, Reaves is stuck in coaching limbo in Knoxville after new Vols coach Derek Dooley chose not to retain the former South Carolina assistant.
Three weeks after Kiffin left Tennessee after one turbulent year, Reaves admits being stunned – both by Kiffin’s abrupt departure and the fact that Kiffin never told his brother-in-law of his intentions.
“The disappointment was more of me not knowing about the situation. You would think that I would have some kind of heads-up on the situation. But that’s how it works out sometimes,” Reaves said during a recent phone interview.
“They had to keep that close to the vest, and I understand that professionally. Sometimes you’ve got to get left out of the loop, and it just so happened to be me this time. But something will work out. We’ll just go from there and learn from it.”
The 31-year-old Reaves spent five seasons as a USC assistant under Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier before leaving after the 2008 regular season to join a high-profile and well-compensated Vols’ staff that included defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and former Mississippi coach Ed Orgeron.
Kiffin took his father, Orgeron and a couple of other UT assistants with him to Southern Cal. Reaves, whose sister Layla is married to Kiffin, was left behind.
TheState.com
1/31/10
