Paul Finebaum discusses Lane Kiffin situation, calls his explanation 'BS'

Paul Finebaum isn’t buying what Lane Kiffin is selling. After declining to speak on rumors that he would leave Ole Miss to become the next Auburn coach for weeks, Kiffin finally addressed them after the Rebels lost 24-22 in the Egg Bowl to Mississippi State.

Kiffin told reporters postgame that he planned to return to Ole Miss for the 2023, and just a couple days later was reported to have worked out a contract extension with the team. Finebaum appeared on ESPN on Sunday afternoon to recap the week of college football with Matt Barrie, where he was skeptical of Kiffin for not revealing his plans prior to the Egg Bowl.

“Of all the statements made publicly, the most ridiculous is what Lane Kiffin said yesterday that he did not announce that he was staying at Ole Miss before the game because he thought it might adversely affect his team,” the ESPN talking head said. “I don’t understand what that means. It seems like if you’re about to play the biggest game of the year, you say, ‘Guys, I’ve been offered the job but I’m staying here.’ That’s total BS. Only Lane Kiffin could not only say that, but until this conversation get away with it, because I know people that go, ‘Oh yeah, you’re right.'”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Prior to the game, local Mississippi TV reporter Jon Sokoloff tweeted that Kiffin would resign as the Rebels coach on Friday following the Egg Bowl. Kiffin refuted that report, though he did not definitively say that he would not take the Auburn job at a later date. It was reported Wednesday by On3’s Matt Zenitz that Kiffin met with the Rebels players privately to inform them he planned to stay.

Ultimately, Finebaum believes this entire situation will soon be a distant memory. In his mind, Kiffin got what he wanted from the whole fiasco by receiving his third contract extension in as many years.

“Then he continues to attack the reporter who reported that he was leaving on Friday, which is a major mistake,” Finebaum said. “He would not have been leaving Friday with Cadillac Williams coaching Saturday. Lane can’t stay out of his way. In the end, this stuff goes away very quickly. Ole Miss I’m sure is happy to have him. The end of the season was an absolute disaster, and guess what? Lane Kiffin gets paid, so does he really care?”

After starting off the year 7-0, Ole Miss lost four of its final five games to finish 8-4. It is the second straight year Kiffin finished with a winning season and takes his overall record in Oxford to 23-12. He is 14-11 in SEC play and 1-1 in bowl games, with a chance to make that 2-1 coming up.