Paul Finebaum grills Lane Kiffin for latest comments: “Trying to wipe Ole Miss off the map”

The world of college football is rarely dull. Even though the season is still a few months away, this week has been full of drama.

And much of the recent drama has been created by LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin, no stranger to making headlines, made a few comments that drew attention to the new debates. The most controversial and controversial is the direct criticism of Ole Miss, his former school.

Kiffin said Ole Miss in particular will lose recruits because of concerns about racial diversity on campus and in Oxford.

“‘Hey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents won’t let me move to Oxford, Mississippi.’ That doesn’t come from when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” Kiffin said to Vanity Fair. “Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the diversity of the campus sounds so good: ‘It feels like there’s no separation. And we want that for our child because it’s the real world.’

LANE KIFFIN SHOTS OLE MISS, SINGS PAIN IN RECRUITING WORLD AND LSU TALKS TYPES.

Reaction on social media was swift and generally dismissive of Kiffin’s claims. And you can add one of the SEC’s biggest supporters to the list of those roasting him for bringing race into the Ole Miss conversation. Even at a new school.

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, during a new episode of “The Paul Finebaum Show,” followed up with Kiffin and had some thoughts about what motivated him to say what he did.

“The SEC coach at LSU is making big news Vanity Fair,” Finebaum said. “It’s got to rock Fifth Avenue right now. But Lane Kiffin.

“The most important thing to include here, was not the fluency of the language. I spoke to the author who wrote the book. Vanity Fair piece another day, Curt [sic] Smith, he said, didn’t even ask Kiffin about racism, he just started breaking up [sic]. This is Kiffin trying to wipe Ole Miss off the face of the Earth, he still has a grudge against them, even though they are the ones he loves. He treats them badly because they did not allow him to train in the playoffs.

“And he has to recruit against them, he has to train against them on September 19, a game that will get a little attention.”

Lane Kiffin speaks at a press conference as he is introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on December 01, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ((Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)

Finebaum then took a minute to address Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s comments, which implied that Ole Miss has an advantage because it’s not a good academic school. “The Sarkisian thing is even more amazing. The fact that any coach whines and complains about anything … Steve Sarkisian makes about $12 million a year, and nobody on his roster goes to the University of Texas for the curriculum. They’re going to want money.”

OLE MISS PLAYERS BACK LANE KIFFIN’S DEMAND THAT THE TEAM ASK THE ADVERTISEMENT TO LET HIM FINISH THE SEASON WITH THE REBELS.

Paul Finebaum, not holding back. And you are right.

Lane Kiffin is bitter, angry, whatever the adjective is, that Ole Miss didn’t let him coach in the playoffs after taking the LSU job. But he knew that there would be consequences if he decided to leave, he went anyway. Kiffin then proved Finebaum right in another interview with On3.com’s Wilson Alexander.

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“Obviously, I wish the time was different. There was no way,” he said. “I tried to do everything possible to continue training and, obviously, that was the case [athletic director Keith Carter’s] the decision is also understandable. Do I still wish it had happened? Yes, I do. I wish that was allowed to happen. Maybe we would have won it all.”

That is why he is sad. He believed Ole Miss had a chance to win the national championship. And he would have that on his resume, winning a title, especially at a program like Ole Miss. But no one can blame him but himself for missing that opportunity. Even if LSU’s performance is better over time.

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Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns holds the Horns Up gesture as he enters Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium before the SEC football game against Texas A&M on Nov. 28, 2025, Austin, Texas. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire)

And direct to Sarkisian as well. Sark knows that the Texas football team is out of academics, or at least, the starters. If any coach is going to complain about putting together a roster, it shouldn’t be the head of the richest program in the country. With NIL’s huge budget, classic uniforms, famous stadium and history, and a huge devoted fan base.

Credit where credit is due, Finebaum didn’t pull any punches. Even if this stone was based on his beloved SEC.