I'm not sure if Lane Kiffin is the answer or not. He really was not cut out for the NFL at all, but as a college assistant he was really good. I think recruiting will be a bigger challenge for him than game day coaching will be. You have to have good players to win in major college football, no matter how good of a game day couch you are.
You have that pegged for sure. I really believe that college coaching depends on how well of a recruiter the school has. Also, a lot depends on the reputation of the school. Tennessee has a good reputation so recruiting shouldn't be a problem there, so it will depend on how well the coach can get those top notch players.