Paul Finebaum roasts Lane Kiffin for recent comments: “Trying to wipe Ole Miss off the map”
The world of college football is rarely boring. Even though the regular season is 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 notable comments in new interviews. Most divisive and controversial are some very harsh criticisms of his former school, Ole Miss.
Kiffin specifically claimed that Ole Miss would lose out on recruiting due to alleged concerns about racial diversity on campus and at Oxford.
“‘Hey coach, we really love you. But my grandparents won’t let me move to Oxford, Mississippi.’ “When you think of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that doesn’t come to mind.” Kiffin told Vanity Fair:. “Parents were sitting here this weekend saying it feels great to have diversity on campus: ‘It feels like there’s no discrimination. And we want that for our kid because that’s the real world.'”
LANE KIFFIN SHOT AT OLE MISS, IN STRANGE INTERVIEW WITH LSU BUT SAYS RACISM IN ADMISSION
Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels looks on before the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Nov. 1, 2025. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Reaction on social media was immediate and generally dismissed Kiffin’s claims. And you can add one of the SEC’s biggest supporters to the list of those who took heat for bringing race into the Ole Miss debate. Even at the new school.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum caught up with Kiffin on a new episode of “The Paul Finebaum Show” and had some thoughts on what motivated him to say this.
“An SEC coach at LSU has big news Vanity FairFinebaum said. “He must be shaking Fifth Avenue right now. But this is Lane Kiffin.
“The important thing to consider here is that this wasn’t a slip of the tongue. I spoke to the writer who did it. Vanity Fair Piece the other day Curt [sic] Smith said he didn’t even ask Kiffin about racism, he just started gossiping. [sic]. This is Kiffin trying to wipe Ole Miss off the face of the earth, and despite being jilted lovers, he’s still very angry at them. He’s mad at them for not letting him coach in the playoffs.
“And he should get players against them, he should coach against them on September 19th, it’s a game that will attract some attention.”
Lane Kiffin speaks at a press conference while being introduced as the new head football coach of the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on December 01, 2025. ((Photo: Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images))
Finebaum then took a moment to address Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s comments implying that Ole Miss had an advantage because it was not a good academic school. “The Sarkis situation is even more surprising. For any coach to whine and complain about anything… Steve Sarkisian makes about $12 million a year and not a single person on his staff goes to the University of Texas for the curriculum. They go for the money.”
OLE MISS PLAYERS DENIAL LANE KIFFIN’S CLAIM THAT HE WANTED A NAME TO LET THE TEAM FINISH THE SEASON WITH THE REBELS
Paul Finebaum doesn’t hold back. And he’s right.
Lane Kiffin, regardless of his title, is hurt and upset that Ole Miss did not allow him to coach in the playoffs after taking the LSU job. But he knew that would be the outcome if he decided to leave, and he left anyway. Kiffin later proved Finebaum right in another interview with Wilson Alexander. On3.com.
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“Obviously I wish the timing had been different. There was no other way,” he said. “I tried to do everything possible to continue being a coach and obviously that happened. [athletic director Keith Carter’s] decision and understandable. Do I still wish this would happen? Yes like that. I wish this had been allowed to happen. Maybe we would have won it all.”
That’s why he’s so sad. He believed Ole Miss had a chance to win the national championship. And that’s on his resume; especially winning a championship at a program like Ole Miss. But he has no one to blame but himself for missing this opportunity. Even if the LSU job is better in the long run.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian performs the Horn Up gesture while walking to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium prior to the SEC football game against Texas A&M on November 28, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (David Buono/Icon Sportswire)
He is also right about Sargsyan. Sark knows the Texas football team isn’t there for academics, or at least not for recruits. If any coach is going to complain about roster construction, it shouldn’t be the head of arguably the richest program in the country. With a massive NIL budget, classic kits, a legendary stadium and history, and a huge, loyal fan base.
Give credit where credit is due, Finebaum pulled no punches. Even though the goal is in his beloved SEC.
