Kiffin feels 'more prepared' at Florida Atlantic than past coaching stops

Lane Kiffin is well traveled for a coach of just 42 years old, having made stops in both college football and the NFL, but he vowed Thursday at Conference USA Media Days that his current employer, Florida Atlantic, is going to get a more evolved version of himself.

Kiffin said he feels "more prepared for this job" because of his lengthy coaching experience, according to George Schroeder of USA TODAY Sports.

"I definitely have changed," he said. "I would be naive not to (after) spending three years with one of the best coaches in the history of college football. To learn from (Nick Saban), and to take different things from him and add to what you had before from Pete Carroll. And to add to also in between that, the mistakes that you made and the things that you did, and to learn from those."

Despite a seemingly rough breakup with Saban, Kiffin expressed his gratitude toward his former boss, acknowledging his wealth of knowledge.

"It was awesome. The last 26 times on the field, we won 26 straight games," Kiffin said. "So it was great and I'm very grateful because I learned a ton from him, obviously. So it was a great experience."

One person that won't be passing judgment on Kiffin is Owls offensive lineman Antonyo Woods, who's more than willing to give his new head coach a fighting chance.

"Anytime you bring in anyone new and it's a clean slate, it's a breath of fresh air," Woods said. "The past doesn't matter. Everybody gets a new chance."