Wearing a summer suit and a subdued expression, Lane Kiffin pronounced himself ready for the fall. No, not that kind. Autumn. Kickoff.

During an appearance Thursday at Conference USA media days, Florida Atlantic’s new head coach said he has learned from past mistakes, as well as from his time as offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at Alabama. He said he “feels more prepared for this job” than his previous stints at larger programs “because of all the different experiences.”

“I definitely have changed,” Kiffin told reporters at the event in Irving, Texas. “I would be naïve not to (after) spending three years with one of the best coaches in the history of college football. To learn from (Saban), and to take different things from him and add to what you had before from Pete Carroll. And to add to also in between that, the mistakes that you made and the things that you did, and to learn from those.

“You’re in a much better place today than you were 10 years ago.”

He’s definitely in a much different place than the NFL, Tennessee, USC — or most recently, Alabama. Kiffin acknowledged he has fewer resources than at those previous stops by saying, “I sat in the back of planes for the first time in a while.” But he talked up its natural assets, too, including the fertile recruiting ground of South Florida and its desirable location.

“It’s a mini-USC,” Kiffin said of recruiting players to FAU. “Boca is like Hollywood. And we’ve got a beach, too.”

When asked about his “year at Alabama,” he said, “My year? It was three” — but resisted the natural urge.

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“I’m not gonna say a joke there,” he said. “It was a great time. It really was. People say, ‘Well, did the marriage (with Nick Saban) work,’ or did the whole thing work? Three years ago when that hire was made, if you’d said together we’re gonna go 40-3 while we were there, and win three straight SEC championships, three straight SEC offensive players of the year, a Heisman winner, a Biletnikoff winner and a national championship, I think every Alabama fan would have said, ‘That’s a pretty good deal, where do I sign up?’

“It was awesome. The last 26 times on the field, we won 26 straight games. So it was great and I’m very grateful because I learned a ton from him, obviously. So it was a great experience.”

Florida Atlantic offensive lineman Antonyo Woods summed it up: “Anytime you bring in anyone new and it’s a clean slate, it’s a breath of fresh air. The past doesn’t matter. Everybody gets a new chance.”

He was talking about the players. But at FAU, that goes for the new head coach, too.