Paul Finebaum says he won’t exactly miss his weekly chats with Brian Kelly.
The longtime college football analyst and SEC voice made that clear during an appearance earlier this month at Barrett Media’s Audio Summit, where he opened up about what it was like interviewing Kelly every Monday during the season while Kelly was at LSU. Kelly’s run in Baton Rouge ended last fall when he was fired before finishing his fourth season, closing out a 34-14 tenure.
For Finebaum, those Monday segments were a grind. Kelly arrived at LSU in 2022, but Finebaum said the weekly interviews felt like they stretched on forever. He didn’t soften the description when talking about those 20-minute live hits over three straight years.
“I think I would rather have a colonoscopy on the stage right now without anesthesia. It’s that painful,” Finebaum said about those 20-minute live interviews with Kelly every Monday, for 3 consecutive years that likely seemed like much longer for Finebaum.
Now that Kelly is out, Finebaum doesn’t have to brace for those interviews anymore. LSU has moved on to Lane Kiffin, a coach Finebaum said he actually has fond memories of as an interview subject.
Kelly is gone, but the SEC race rolls on. LSU won’t have Kelly on the sideline as it tries to chase an SEC title this fall, yet the conference battle for supremacy remains very much alive. The Kalshi market currently has its own read on which teams are best positioned to be holding that SEC trophy in December.
In Other News...
Why LSU Fans Are Eyeing No 57 A Little Closer This Year
With LSUs season opener against Clemson still 57 days away, No. 57 has become one of those little roster details worth watching as camp approaches. The jersey is now on junior offensive tackle Ja'Kolby Jones, a JUCO transfer who adds depth to the offensive line and gives the Tigers another name to track as they sort out the pieces up front.
The number has carried a few different storylines over the years, from former LSU offensive lineman Carius Curne to Davon Godchaux, who is now entering his 10th NFL season with the New Orleans Saints. For Tigers fans, the interest in Jones is less about flash and more about what he can become in a room where every bit of line help matters, especially with the opener closing in and the depth chart still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Title Hopes May Come Down To One SEC Reality
LSU spent the offseason building the kind of roster that can survive the long grind of an SEC season, loading up at receiver, quarterback, running back and across a defense that already had plenty of pieces in place. The Tigers brought in transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt to steer the offense, added more help at the skill spots and fortified a defensive front and secondary that now look deeper and more versatile than they did a year ago.
For a program chasing championship-level consistency, the bigger question may not be whether LSU has enough headline talent. It is whether the Tigers have enough quality across the board to keep rolling when injuries, fatigue and the usual SEC attrition start to hit. Blake Bakers defense is expected to carry a major share of that burden, and the way LSU manages its depth in the coming months could end up telling the real story of how far this team can go. [Read more 🡒]