KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Lane Kiffin is returning to Southern California as the Trojans’ coach after just one season at Tennessee.

Kiffin was chosen Tuesday to replace Pete Carroll, his mentor and employer for six seasons. Kiffin was the Trojans’ offensive coordinator before his brief stints with the Oakland Raiders and the Volunteers.

“This was not an easy decision,” he said in a brief press conference on Tennessee’s campus. “I really believe this is the only place I would have left here to go.”

His father, respected defensive coach Monte Kiffin, and longtime USC assistant Ed Orgeron also will leave Tennessee to join him, USC said in a statement.