Kiffin has never met FAU's new QB De'Andre Johnson

After being hired as Florida Atlantic head coach, Lane Kiffin received big news with the announcement that former Florida State quarterback De'Andre Johnson was transferring to the Owls from junior college.

Johnson made headlines for punching a woman at a bar during his time at Florida State, which was captured on a surveillance camera. Johnson was promptly kicked off the team and enrolled at a junior college.

Just one day after his hiring was made official, some were questioning if Kiffin was the same old Kiffin by bringing someone of Johnson's past into the program.

However, Kiffin cleared some things up Wednesday about his dealings with Johnson's arrival to FAU.

"I've never even met (Johnson)," Kiffin said, according to Ben Jones of the Tuscaloosa News. "I wouldn't know him if he walked in the room. It was something the president, the athletic director, the previous staff had done a ton of research,

"They had connections at the junior college where he was at, they had brought him in, spent 48 hours around him. They had already sent him his papers (to sign). That was something that was totally in place and was already done before I even got there."

Kiffin also spoke Wednesday about hiring Kendal Briles as the Owls offensive coordinator.

Briles' father, Art, was fired as Baylor head coach in May over a sexual assault scandal that rocked the campus and saw Kendal protest his father's firing into Baylor's season this year, which tainted Kendal's image.

Kiffin explained Kendal's hiring.

"Hiring Kendal was a long process that we went through," he said. "We checked out a lot of things through our university and communicating with people there, so we feel very comfortable with Kendal's situation. He'll be flying here today to help interview guys.

"As far as the other stuff, that's not really what this is about today with Art, but we have a plan with that, and we'll discuss that when we get down there."

With Johnson on the team, Kiffin's younger brother, Chris, running the Owls' defense after NCAA violations while at Ole Miss, Kendal Briles' past at Baylor and Lane's roller coaster time at Tennessee and USC, Boca Raton will be known for more than just a vacation destination.