Paul Finebaum Names SEC Coach With a Top Four Job in College Football

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin shocked college football by leaving the Ole Miss Rebels, the team he built into a perennial contender.

Lane Kiffin Leaves Oxford for Baton Rouge

Kiffin went 55-19 in his six seasons in Oxford. He won double-digit games in four of his final five seasons. That includes going 11-1 last season, while leading the Rebels to their first College Football Playoff appearance. However, Kiffin didn't get to see that through as he left to take over the Tigers and build them into a perennial contender.

Ole Miss would defeat the Tulane Green Wave and the Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Rebels would then lose in the final seconds to the Miami Hurricanes, ending their run.

Now, Kiffin is preparing for the 2026 season and wants to prove early that he made the right move by going to Baton Rouge. This is a program that expects to win national championships, as LSU has won three since 2000.

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the press. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paul Finebaum Shuts Down Idea of Kiffin Leaving LSU for Alabama

A caller on "The Paul Finebaum Show" said that he believes Kiffin will leave again, this time for the Alabama Crimson Tide if it were to open. Paul Finebaum said it's no secret that Kiffin wanted that job before Kalen DeBoer got it after the 2023 season. But he feels he isn't going anywhere.

"I don't think that Lane Kiffin could find a better job than what he does right now," Finebaum said. "You would argue that LSU is one of the top three or four jobs in college football. The thing that is so attractive about it is everyone is behind the program. I have no doubt that Lane Kiffin talks to the governor every morning. That's a big guy to have in your corner."

Kiffin Has Chance to Build LSU Into His Next Powerhouer

That's ultimately what makes this situation so fascinating. Kiffin didn't leave Ole Miss because he had taken the program as far as it could go. He left because LSU presented an opportunity to compete at an even higher level.

Now, the pressure is on him to make that decision look justified. If Kiffin can turn LSU into a consistent playoff contender and eventually compete for national championships, the idea of him leaving for another job may become irrelevant.

He'll already have what Finebaum believes is one of the best jobs in the country and a program capable of matching his ambitions.

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