Florida AD Scott Stricklin addresses failed pursuit of Lane Kiffin, says they had 'productive conversations'

Florida athletic director Scott Sricklin introduced Jon Sumrall as the school's next football coach on Monday. And after that introduction was made, Stricklin spent a bulk of time answering questions about the candidate who did not accept the job. We, of course, would be talking about Lane Kiffin.

The Gators' interest in Kiffin was no secret, but the two sides never came to an agreement, and Kiffin was introduced as the new LSU coach shortly after Sumrall took the podium in Gainesville. Stricklin admitted he didn't know why Kiffin turned down the Florida job but felt like they had some "productive conversations" throughout the process.

"He's a fascinating guy, and I respect his decision," Stricklin said, per The Independent Florida Alligator. "I don't know why he made the decision he did, but, I would say we had productive conversations."

Stricklin denied the rumors that he and Kiffin didn't mesh well in interviews, saying that there is a lot of "false information" going around about the coaching search.

"There's a lot of twisted information, and a lot of people trying to create narratives that benefit themselves," Stricklin said. "And so look, I said earlier, I'm not gonna talk about any other candidates, but Lane was a pretty visible candidate."

CBS Sports' own John Talty chronicled the chaos that was the Kiffin courtship by Florida, LSU and Ole Miss. In that article, Talty reports that initial talks between Kiffin and Stricklin weren't exactly smooth. Part of the disconnect was Florida's insistence on having a general manager who would report directly to the next coach.

Inside the weeks of turmoil that drove Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU -- with a hard pass on Florida

John Talty

Ultimately, Kiffin passed on the opportunity to coach the Gators and wound up in Baton Rouge. Stricklin was pleased that Florida ended up where it did -- with Sumrall in charge after another great season at the Group of Five level. Stricklin also said he holds no ill will toward other parties involved in the process.

"I'm really happy with where we are," Stricklin said. "I wish him the best. I wish all the schools involved the best, except for when we play them."

When it became clearer that Kiffin was leaning away from Florida, Stricklin said he knew the Gators had to act fast because there would be "a line out the door" for Sumrall, who came recommended by Urban Meyer. Auburn was reportedly interested in Sumrall, but Florida was able to lure him away from Tulane after pivoting away from Kiffin.