Paul Finebaum Reveals Bold Prediction on Lane Kiffin's Future With LSU Football

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers remain one of the hottest topics in college football this offseason with the program undergoing a complete rebuild across the last four months.

Once a change in leadership was made on Nov. 30, Kiffin then assembled his staff followed by piecing together the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America with over 40 newcomers joining the roster.

"We have a lot of work to do, but I'm very grateful for the opportunity to lead one of the elite programs in all of sports. Leaving Ole Miss was an extremely difficult decision, and in that, we tried every single thing possible to continue to coach the team through the playoffs and to continue to coach the players.

"The opportunity at LSU, as I said before, is just different. Someone very close to me reminded me this week in this decision that LSU is the best job in football," Kiffin added.

But SEC Network's Paul Finebaum believes things would have been different had Alabama made the call after Nick Saban's retirement two offseasons ago.

“Dan Lanning was (the favorite) within 10 seconds of Nick Saban’s retirement announcement,” Finebaum said on his show on Wednesday. “Dan Lanning was the betting favorite. By the next day, he was out of it because Dan landing didn’t want the job. The guy that did want the job was Lane Kiffin.

“He would have crawled to Tuscaloosa, but Greg Byrne and others — I’m guessing Sabin was probably behind this as well. I guarantee that Nick Saban did not encourage Greg Byrne to hire Lane Kiffin at Alabama.”

LSU Tigers Football: Lane Kiffin. — Courtesy of LSU Athletics.

“I can absolutely confirm that Lane Kiffin was calling everyone imaginable to get him in the door,” Finebaum said. “Absolute fact.”

It's no secret Kiffin has a respect for Saban and what he built in Tuscaloosa over a near two-decade span, but all eyes remain on the task at-hand in Baton Rouge.

"I'm very honored to be the head coach of LSU. I can sum it up by saying this: this place is different. Having watched this place for a long time, having been on the other sidelines in this stadium, this place is different, and that's why we're here," Kiffin said on Dec. 1.

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