While college sports’ powerbrokers have been fighting the once-absurd idea of schools adding players from NFL camps, one coach has been the most visible in looking for a loophole on the other side.Lane Kiffin.It’s always Lane Kiffin. Even when he’s not leaving literal ashes in his wake at Tennessee, being fired at the airport by USC or attracting congressional attention by leaving College Football Playoff-bound Ole Miss for a $13 million annual salary at rival LSU, Kiffin is at the center of every major college football story or trend.Booming player payrolls? His Rebels were an early big spender.The transfer portal? Kiffin prioritized second-chance prospects before the portal even existed.Up-tempo offenses? Kiffin modernized Alabama, then was accused of faking injuries to slow down Tennessee.Recruiting via helicopter? Playoff expansion? Satellite camps?Kiffin, Kiffin, Kiffin.“There’s always something swirling around him,” said Ken LaVicka, who was part of Kiffin’s inner circle during the coach’s three seasons at Florida Atlantic.But why?Three storylines to watch: Indiana, Arch and KiffinStewart MandelThe easy answer is that if something is swirling around Kiffin, he’s the one who provoked it with his trolling, sarcastic cracks and brash claims.The charitable read is that Kiffin is an “innovator without regret,” as he was described by a player he recruited, Denzel McCoy. He’s willing to exploit every speck of gray he spots — or thinks he spots — between black-and-white rules. Adding a tight end (Dae’Quan Wright) who spent time this preseason with the Cleveland Browns, then, isn’t much different from showing officials why the play he drew up at halftime is legal, or changing a quarterback’s jersey number to set up a trick play on special teams.Regardless of the reason, Kiffin has built a head-coaching career around extreme main character energy. He finally has the setting to match.On Thursday, the Southeastern Conference sued Kiffin and LSU in federal court over his attempts to add players (Wright and Zxavian Harris) who spent the summer practicing with NFL teams, while a Baton Rouge judge ruled in favor of the players. On Saturday night, the 51-year-old Kiffin will make his LSU debut in the marquee game of college football’s first full opening weekend as he leads one of the sport’s biggest brands against another premier program, Clemson, in front of the largest crowd of credentialed media in the history of college football’s best venue, Tiger Stadium.Kiffin hasn’t been downplaying the drama. A quote displayed at the football facility made the rounds this week on social media: “If you want to win at the highest level, you have to become a villain in someone else’s story.”