Paul Finebaum Delivers Harsh Warning to an SEC Powerhouse After Offseason Controversy

The LSU Tigers have been the center of controversy all offseason since luring head coach Lane Kiffin away from the Ole Miss Rebels.

LSU Tigers, Lane Kiffin the Center of Controversy in College Football

Kiffin spent six seasons in Oxford, going 55-19 in his tenure. He led the team to four double-digit-win seasons, including last year's 11-1 and the first College Football Playoff berth in program history. Kiffin elected to take on a new challenge by taking the job in Baton Rouge.

Kiffin's first bit of controversy was after an interview with "Vanity Fair." Kiffin insinuated that he struggled to recruit people to Ole Miss because their families didn't want them to live in Oxford.

"[They would say], 'Hey, Coach, we really like you. But my grandparents aren't letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi,'" Kiffin previously said. "That doesn't come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus' diversity feels so great: 'It feels like there's no segregation. And we want that for our kid because that's the real world.'"

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a touchdown. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

His next batch of offseason controversy came recently when LSU pushed to sign two players who were on NFL rosters this preseason. This came after the new "five-for-five" rule in college football, giving players five years to play the sport. Players who were a part of the 2022 class but didn't use that fifth year were not grandfathered into the rule. This move resulted in multiple lawsuits. Including the SEC threatening to expel LSU from the conference.

Paul Finebaum Predicts Kiffin Could Face Suspension at LSU

ESPN's Paul Finebaum revealed on "The Paul Finebaum Show" that he doesn't see that happening, but he could see Kiffin being suspended.

"I think the likelihood of the SEC expelling LSU is pretty thin," Finebaum said. "But think about this for a second. The commissioner was handed permission by the president to mete out a number of penalties, from suspension to any number of things. That's where they would begin. They're not going to kick LSU out of the league Thursday, but guess what? They could suspend the coach, though, for the year."

LSU Backs Away From Former NFL Players as Legal Battle Continues

The situation has since taken another turn. LSU finalized its 105-man roster, adding cornerback Aidan Anding and defensive end Gabriel Reliford to fill its final two spots. That means Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris will not be added to LSU's roster at any point this season.

That decision removes the immediate possibility of the Tigers putting former NFL players on the field, but it has not ended the dispute with the SEC. The conference has amended its federal lawsuit and scheduled a meeting of its presidents and chancellors for Thursday to consider LSU's membership.

For LSU, the roster decision could help de-escalate the fight over Wright and Harris, but the larger conflict is now about much more than two players. The Tigers have chosen not to add the former professionals, yet the SEC's legal and membership questions remain unresolved. That leaves Kiffin and LSU facing consequences that could extend well beyond the roster decision that started the latest chapter of this saga.

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