Thompson gets first look at Vols' side of rivalry with Alabama

Lance Thompson downplayed the question when a reporter asked if this was a weird week for him.

“Is what weird for me? Talking to you or playing Alabama,” the Tennessee linebackers coach said with a southern drawl and sly grin. “It ain’t weird. To be honest with you, I feel privileged.

“Hell, it’s a great series. Now I get to play on the other side.”

Hence the line of questioning. Just a season ago, Thompson was wearing crimson, not orange. The two trademark colors collide when Alabama hosts UT on Saturday (TV: WVLT, 3:30).

“I know the Tennessee people want me to hate all them guys,” Thompson said. “I’ll just hate them for that three hours. I’m not that kind of guy.

“I want to win. I want to go compete. I want to kick their ass. I want to do all those things. But at the end of the day we’re going to walk away. We’re going to shake hands. We’re going to be good sports.”

UT coach Lane Kiffin still calls the Thompson hire “huge”. It’s not often a fledgling staff that is trying to rebuild a program hires away a top assistant from one of its chief rivals.

Upon closer inspections, it may have been Kiffin’s most impressive acquisition when one considers the lack of connections.

Kiffin had strong ties to his two “big-name” coaches. His father, Monte Kiffin, was hired as defensive coordinator and he worked closely with recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron at Southern California.

There was no such tie to Thompson. Kiffin had only heard of him during recruiting stops after he took the UT job. Yet Kiffin lured Thompson. Monte was the bait.

“The ability to work for Monte has brought people for years and years,” Lane Kiffin said.

Thompson bit — hook, line and sinker. And is now enjoying his time in the boat.

“He (Monte Kiffin) is 70 years old and he’s busting his butt from one drill to the next,” Thompson said. “He’s just a very passionate, compassionate guy. I love the guy. He’s more than I ever thought.”

Monte Kiffin was so sure of his resume that he encouraged Thompson to call 10 former assistants who coached with him. All said the same thing.

“Everyone of them said ‘If you get the chance to work for Kiff, you’ve got to do it.’ ” Thompson said. “I have zero regrets.”

So don’t consider Thompson just another coach who couldn’t handle the high-pressure environment that comes with coaching under Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“This is my take on that,” Thompson said. “Everybody asks me about coach Saban. Coach Saban is a winner. He’s proven his way works. If it’s because he’s demanding, so be it.

“You know what, I’d rather work for a guy that’s demanding and you win than a guy that’s not demanding and you get your butt kicked. We’re all in this business to win. That’s the only time you get any pleasure as a coach is when you win.

“I didn’t leave Alabama because he was too demanding or hard to work for. Nick was great to me. He was great to my family. It just so happens that he’s coaching at Alabama and I’m coaching at Tennessee now.”

In fact, the change in address hasn’t changed much at all. Thompson still sleeps in his office two or three times a week. He’s still pushed, by himself and his colleagues, to inspire discipline into a once-sagging program.

“It’s amazing the parallels,” Thompson said of rebuilding the two programs.

Which makes UT fans wonder just when they can expect a championship contender. Alabama, after all, won its first 12 games last season in Saban’s second year and played in the SEC championship game.

“Anything is possible when you’re dealing with 18 to 22-year-old guys, but every situation is different,” Thompson said. “But to predict that a group of 18 to 22-year-olds are going to go from whatever we end up this year to 12-0 next year in this league? I don’t think you can find an even money bet on that everywhere.”

It’s a much safer bet that Thompson will continue his success on the recruiting trail. Named the 2008 national recruiter of the year by Rivals.com, Thompson is credited with landing several of Alabama’s best players, including receiver Julio Jones, tailback Trent Richardson, linebacker Nico Johnson and defensive backs Mark Barron and B.J. Scott.

The 45-year-old Thompson, with strong ties in Alabama and Georgia, already has three prospects committed for the 2010 class. As UT’s coaches have said publicly, Atlanta will be a key area.

Kiffin and recruiting Orgeron saw Thompson’s influence last week as they toured his recruiting areas around Atlanta.

“It’s like when I go to Louisiana and I go to California, people know you,” Orgeron said, referring to his old recruiting stomping grounds. “If people know you, they’re going to let you in the door. People know Lance. They let us in the door. They trust him.

“When we go in there with Lance, we’re a step ahead. In some ways, it’s like we’re the home team.”

Thompson will be on the away team this week. Yet he’s not shy about setting — and achieving — some lofty goals at UT.

“We came here to build a championship at Tennessee,” he said. “And that’s what we’re working to do.”

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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