Paul Finebaum Believes LSU Football's Chances of Hiring Lane Kiffin May Be Shrinking

Finebaum weighed in on the recent buzz surrounding the LSU gig, could negatively impact the Tigers.

Nov 1, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The LSU Tigers continue navigating a coaching search in Baton Rouge following the recent news of Brian Kelly being relieved of his duties as the decision-maker.

With Kelly out as the head coach in the Bayou State, the LSU administration then took things a step further after parting ways with athletics director Scott Woodward.

The decision came on the heels of a recent statement made by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry where he revealed that Woodward would not be hiring the next head coach.

“We are not going down a failed path,” Landry said. “This is a pattern. The guy that wrote that contract cost Texas A&M 70 something million dollars. We’ve got a 53 million dollar liability. We are not doing that again. I believe we’re going to find a great coach — maybe we’ll let President Trump pick it, he loves winners.

"I’m not gonna be picking the next coach, but I can promise you we’re going to pick a coach and make sure he’s successful. We’re going to make sure he’s compensated properly and we’re going to put metrics on it because I’m tired of rewarding failure in this country, then leaving the tax payers to foot the bill.”

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Now, ESPN's Paul Finebaum has weighed in on the comments made by the Louisiana Governor and how it could negatively impact the program's coaching search - specifically with Lane Kiffin.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say this week, ‘We need to keep politics out of college football,'” Paul Finebaum said. “Wrong. Every university president goes to the state legislature, whether it’s Louisiana, Florida, New Mexico, and that’s where the money comes from. Not for athletics, per se, but for the university.

"All we’ve heard for three years, every commissioner going to Washington, pleading with Congress. So, politics and college football are intertwined, but the problem with this governor is he just became a caricature of Louisiana governors. That’s hard to do, by the way, when you understand the history of that state.”

What did Finebaum say of how it could shrink the LSU Tigers' chances with Kiffin and other potential candidates?

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

“He made it if you’re Lane Kiffin or somebody else,” Finebaum said. “You’re going, ‘Do I want to deal with that?’ Of all the things that Governor Landry did, he did one thing that really mattered. He fired the athletic director live. I’ve never seen that before.” 

“The problem is, LSU went from the best job in the country to behind a couple of other ones. Now, that can repopulate,” Finebaum said. “Assuming they can get someone in there quickly to be the president and try to settle everyone down. It’s still a great, but particularly for someone like Lane Kiffin who I think is the number one target of all those schools, I think they were hurt.”

Now, as the coaching search heats up, LSU will have all the buzz with the likes of Kiffin and other top candidates emerging this month.

More LSU News:

Elite LSU Football Commit Reaffirms Pledge Despite Ohio State, Ole Miss Pushing

Five Players LSU Football Must Keep After Brian Kelly's Firing, Including DJ Pickett

ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

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