Paul Finebaum, Fans Ready for College Football Program to be Removed from Conference

Paul Finebaum is ready to see this college football program removed from the SEC after its tumultuous offseason.

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Paul Finebaum in attendance of the Mississippi Rebels against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LSU opens its 2026 season with the home end of a home-and-home against Clemson in Tiger Stadium (7:30 p.m. EDT, ABC).

This matchup has been propped up as one of the main attractions in a relatively unappetizing week of games; ESPN's College GameDay announced its intent to go to LSU in Week 1 well in advance of the season. However, the biggest storyline around the game has very little to do with the game itself.

Lane Kiffin and the Tigers were the center of attention in college football in the final weeks of the offseason due to their efforts to bring back players from NFL rosters to their roster. LSU was not the only program to do this, but it targeted the most NFL players of any program.

On Thursday night, a Louisiana judge granted an injunction to former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris that allowed them to play college football for LSU in 2026. Unsurprisingly, this common sense-defying move has sparked outrage from football programs, conferences and fans alike.

College football media personality Paul Finebaum expressed his displeasure toward Kiffin during "SEC Nation," specifically calling attention to his lack of maturity and the LSU administration's apparent lack of supervision.

"We can all wrap our arms around Lane Kiffin and say he's lovable and that he's a great coach," Finebaum said. "But at the end of the day, he's a child. He's a 51-year-old man behaving like a 16-year-old, and the worst part (is that) there are no adults in the room. I thought all college campuses have an athletic director, the one at LSU is nowhere to be found. The president, Wade Rousse has been nowhere to be found."

Finebaum went on to discuss the hypothetical exclusion of the Tigers from the SEC, citing the general disdain from the rest of the league.

"What happened down there has left a stain on this league," Finebaum said. "I know it's not going to happen, and it probably shouldn't happen, but if the presidents of the SEC took a vote today, they very well might vote to kick LSU out of the league. I can tell you fans out there would not be the least bit upset by it."

Why are former NFL players looking to return to college football?

The NCAA's new "5-for-5" eligibility rule was the catalyst for this movement of players from the NFL back to college football. With a five-year eligibility clock in effect, many of these players can find better compensation and guaranteed playing time, things that would take a longer time to earn in the NFL.

This movement of athletes from professional to college sports expands past football. College basketball was the sport where it first gained traction as many players whose eligibility had expired entered the transfer portal in hopes of a fifth season of eligibility.

LSU did not participate in the SEC's vote to exclude former professional athletes from college sports

Jul 23, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When players on NFL rosters first began to explore the possibility of returning to college football, each conference came together and unaninimously ruled against the idea.

The SEC was the second conference to unanimously oppose the addition of former NFL players to their rosters. However, later reports revealed the final vote among SEC presidents was 15-0 and that LSU had abstained from the vote due to its active pursuit of professional athletes across different sports.