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Southern California football coach Lane Kiffin pauses after a meeting of USC football players, Thursday, June 10, 2010, in Los Angeles. The NCAA threw the book at USC on Thursday with a two-year bowl ban, four years' probation, loss of scholarships and forfeits of an entire year's games for improper benefits to Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush dating to the Trojans' 2004 national championship. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

--

Nick Saban

said he was surprised by the reaction to

Lane Kiffin's

visit with the Alabama coaching staff, citing the regularity and frequency of these "professional development type things."

"There's only a few people out there that you have an opportunity to do it with," Saban said Tuesday. "Lane is a really good offensive coach and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.

"Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit, get some professional ideas with our guys, is a real positive thing, so I don't know why there's any reaction to it to be honest with you. I'm really quite surprised."

His players were apparently among those surprised by the presence of Kiffin, who last saw Alabama in a 2009 game that ended with

Terrence Cody's

game-saving field goal block.

Alabama senior wide receiver

Kevin Norwood

said "everybody was shocked" when the offensive players arrived and saw Kiffin in the meeting room.

Kiffin, the former USC coach who was fired five games into the 2013 season, rose through the ranks at a young age on the offensive side of the ball. He was the Trojans' offensive coordinator from 2005-2006 before landing his first of three head coaching gigs with the NFL's Oakland Raiders.

Saban said it is common practice for coaches to come to campus for brainstorming sessions such as the one Kiffin is currently experiencing. Oklahoma's staff, which Alabama will square off against in the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl, has been on campus in recent years during the Crimson Tide's bowl practices, Saban said.

Longtime coach

Tom Moore

has also been a frequent visitor, Saban said.

"You exchange ideas," Saban said. "To do it, though, the person can't be coaching any place right now or they've got other things to do."