Alabama head coach Nick Saban praised the work that offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin has done in Tuscaloosa in the first official statement since Florida Atlantic made Kiffin its next head coach.

Saban met with the media as part of a Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl press conference and proactively addressed the Kiffin news during his opening statement.

"Lane's done a phenomenal job for us for the last three years," Saban said. "We appreciate the impact that he's made on this program. We think that this is a wonderful opportunity for him to be a head coach again. I think that FAU has selected someone that is going to a great job for them."

The move comes after speculation that Kiffin was in play for the Houston head coaching job, LSU offensive coordinator position, and others. Ultimately, Kiffin chose to give head coaching another chance.

Saban praised his offensive coordinator for the work he did over three seasons, particulary in shaping the offense to the strengths of his players.

"He's done a great job here molding our offensive players to what they could do to have the best chance to be successful and I think that's always something that's very telling about the quality of the coach. So Lane will stay here and serve as offensive coordinator through our playoff."

Saban said there is no timetable on naming a replacement for Kiffin. You can watch his full statement in the video above.

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