As this column is being written the week of November 23rd, sources tell me that Lane Kiffin will be named head football coach at the University of Tennessee, and athletics director, Mike Hamilton could make the announcement as early as next week. Hamilton has only said that the search is “going forward.” Sources also tell me that coach Kiffin is in the process of assembling his coaching staff.

Coach Kiffin was born in 1975 (33 years of age) in Bloomington, Minnesota. He is the former head coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the University of Southern California Trojans. At age 31, at the time of his hiring, (32 when he coached his first NFL game) Kiffin became the youngest head coach in National Football League history.

Kiffin is the son of college and NFL head coach, Monte Kiffin, who currently serves as defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a 1994 graduate of Bloomington Jefferson High School in Minnesota and a 1998 graduate of Fresno State where he played backup quarterback. He gave up his senior season to become a student assistant coach at Fresno State.

Kiffin also worked as a graduate assistant for one year at Colorado State University. In 1999, working with the offense, the Rams CSU (Rams) played in the Liberty Bowl that season. Kiffin’s dad helped him secure a job with Jacksonville Jaguars as a quality control assistant for one year. Lane was then hired by one of his father’s assistant coaches, Pete Caroll at University of Southern California.

Coach Kiffin is married to the lovely Layla Reaves, whose father is John Reaves, former assistant coach of the University of Florida (Gators). Lane and Layla have two daughters; Landry and Pressley. Lane’s brother, Chris, was a defensive lineman at Colorado State and is currently an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska.

Coach Kiffin, welcome to Big Orange Country regardless of where you have coached, you have experienced nothing like the Vol experience.

The question of the week comes from Merrill in Middlesboro. (Merrill’s question is actually from a few weeks ago.)

Q: I know you have been very successful in business with real estate and the financial services and I just heard you purchased another company last week, with all of your business interest and the professional baseball, how do you balance everything with family?

Great question, Merrill. Family has always been my priority and everything I do, I do for them. I have been blessed with everything I ever wanted and have had my family involved with my business and baseball from day one. I get a kick out of my girls, when we are at a baseball function and everyone is making a big deal over a professional baseball scout being there and all that goes with it, my daughters say, “don’t they know you are just our dad and nothing more.”

So see Merrill, family comes first and has a way of keeping you grounded. (Just ask my girls — I’m only dad to them.)

Johnny Smith is a native of Claiborne County and is a 1977 graduate of Powell Valley High School. He is under contract with the Atlanta Braves. He can be reached via e-mail at johnnysmithscout@claiborneprogress.net.