Paul Finebaum has never been shy about taking aim at Lane Kiffin, and on Wednesday he turned the LSU coach into a full-blown celebrity comparison.
Speaking on the What A Day podcast, Finebaum labeled Kiffin the “Kim Kardashian of college football,” tying that image to the chaos and attention that seem to trail him everywhere.
“First of all, Lane Kiffin is the Kim Kardashian of college football. Wherever she goes, or he goes, there’s destruction and carnage in his place. His history is too long to recall,” Finebaum said.
He didn’t stop there.
“It’s as simple as this: he was the head coach at Ole Miss last December, they were in the College Football Playoff for the first time. They had a shot at winning the national championship!
And he walked out on them. It had never happened before, there’s no precedent for this, but he wanted a better job.”
The comments come as the wider off-field drama around LSU has eased for the moment, with the SEC not moving to punish the Tigers right now and attention drifting back toward the season. Still, the Kiffin storyline has stayed loud.
That’s hardly surprising. Kiffin has built a reputation as one of the sport’s most talked-about figures, whether he’s on camera, dropping cryptic posts online, or simply leaning into his own brand of chaos. The attention follows him.
Finebaum’s criticism also taps into Kiffin’s long track record of headline-grabbing moves and controversies. His departure from Ole Miss after leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff added another major entry to that list, and it gave his critics plenty to work with.
Whether the comparison lands or not, Kiffin has clearly become the kind of coach who can dominate the conversation without even coaching a game. A post, a quote, a move - that’s usually enough to set things off.
For LSU, the next step is obvious. If Kiffin wins, the noise starts to fade. If not, the conversation around him is going to keep growing, and so will the drama that comes with it.
In Other News...
LSU Is Stuck In An SEC Fight With No Clear End
Pete Thamels latest Week 2 update offered a mixed bag for the SECs heavyweights, with Texas getting healthier up front and still waiting on one key eligibility ruling. Left tackle Trevor Goosby is back from a knee injury, while offensive lineman Cole Hutson is practicing but remains ineligible as his NCAA appeal continues to work through the process.
LSUs news, though, is less about the depth chart and more about the larger picture around the program. After a conference meeting, the Tigers SEC membership situation is still unresolved, and the league is monitoring the issue as legal complications continue to shape the timeline. For LSU, it is the kind of off-field uncertainty that can linger well beyond a single game week, with no clear end in sight yet. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Jefferson Just Added Fuel To LSU's New Identity
Justin Jeffersons return to Baton Rouge came with more than nostalgia. The former LSU star was at the Tigers game against Clemson and offered support for the direction Lane Kiffin is pushing, backing a team that has leaned into a sharper, more aggressive edge under its new head coach. With so many new faces in the program, LSU is trying to establish a fresh identity quickly, and Jeffersons approval only adds a little more weight to the message.
The part that stands out is how openly the Tigers have embraced the idea of being the villain now. Kiffins arrival from Ole Miss has given LSU a different kind of swagger, and Jefferson said the roster still has the kind of talent that can put it in the national championship conversation despite the turnover. For a program built on expectations, the challenge now is proving that the attitude matches the results. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Just Validated What LSU Fans Loved In Clemson Blowout
A familiar voice chimed in after LSUs season-opening win over Clemson, and Brian Kelly made sure to point toward the parts of the performance that tend to travel well in September. Now working as a CBS Sports analyst after leaving Baton Rouge, Kelly singled out the defense and the running game, two areas that looked especially sharp in LSUs debut under Lane Kiffin.
The praise carried a little extra weight because Kelly was also pointing back to Blake Baker, the defensive coordinator he hired. LSU held Clemson to 145 total yards while piling up 309 on the ground, the kind of balanced showing that gives a new staff a fast way to win over a skeptical fan base and, at least for one night, made Kellys old blueprint look pretty sound. [Read more 🡒]