Paul Finebaum Takes Unprovoked Shot at Lane Kiffin Ahead of College Football Week 4

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum told Florida fans on Saturday that they're lucky their school hired head coach Jon Sumrall, and he took another shot at LSU head coach Lane Kiffin hours before both teams play in Week 4.

Finebaum spoke on SEC Nation, which aired from Gainesville before No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida. "You have no idea how lucky you are," Finebaum said. "You have Jon Sumrall and not Lane Kiffin."

Despite Kiffin not even being part of the conversation, Finebaum couldn't help but go after Kiffin once again.

Florida's 3-0 start under Jon Sumrall

Paul Finebaum Takes Unprovoked Shot at Lane Kiffin Ahead of LSU-Florida — Florida Gators coach Jon Sumrall | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Gators are 3-0 in Sumrall's first season since he left Tulane. Florida started the year unranked, but the team now sits at No. 21. It hosts Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Finebaum praised Sumrall after Florida beat Auburn, too. He said the former Tulane coach "looks like a much more complete package than Alex Golesh," who leads Auburn.

Finebaum also said Kiffin had interest in Florida before he took the LSU job. "And as everybody knows, Lane Kiffin was looking at Florida, and probably the year before would have gone there had the job opened," he said.

Once Kiffin chose LSU, Florida turned to its next target. "After he realized Kiffin was gone, he went after Sumrall, who was just about signed by Auburn," Finebaum said.

Why is Finebaum doubting Kiffin?

LSU fell to 2-1 after a 32-24 loss at Ole Miss last Saturday. It was Kiffin's first game back in Oxford since he left the Rebels for LSU. After the game, Kiffin spoke about the emotions he felt.

Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic that he didn't believe that reaction. "I mean, he is a human, but he's also a con man, and so it's always difficult to take his human reaction seriously because you know that underneath it, he's got something deceitful going on," Finebaum said.

Still, Finebaum gave the LSU coach some credit. "When you quit digging up all the other nonsense, he is a very good football coach, at times a savant," Finebaum said. "But he lost Saturday night."

Texas A&M visits No. 10 LSU at 7:30 p.m. ET tonight on ABC.

Paul Finebaum and Lane Kiffin history

Finebaum has criticized Kiffin since the coach left Ole Miss for LSU after the 2025 regular season. The Rebels were 11-1 and headed to their first College Football Playoff, but the school didn't let Kiffin coach in it.

At the time, Finebaum called Kiffin a "bridge-burner" and said he "always does what he does: burns down the house." Kiffin replied on X. "Come on down @finebaum," Kiffin wrote.

In June, Finebaum said, "Lane Kiffin is the one who betrayed Ole Miss." After last week's loss, he went on First Take and said Kiffin "is still the same con man he was before he walked into that stadium."

Kiffin went 55-19 in six seasons at Ole Miss before he took the LSU job.

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