Sports

Why Paul Finebaum is right about Lane Kiffin and LSU

LSU Tigers On SI · Jul 21, 2026 15:15 · 3 min read

Why Paul Finebaum is Right About Lane Kiffin and LSU — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SEC talking head Paul Finebaum laid out his expectations for Lane Kiffin's first year at LSU, and he is right.

Paul Finebaum knows a thing or two when it comes to making headlines regarding now-LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. And he’s done it again just before the start of SEC Media Days down in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Speaking alongside the SEC Nation panel, Finebaum made it clear that the expectations for Kiffin in Year 1 at LSU are to win right away and make the College Football Playoff.

“It’s really simple, and if he fails to do that, the hue and cry will be loud and vociferous,” Finebaum said. “But that is the expectation because not only the money paid to him, but also the money paid to the players. I mean, nobody did better in the portal. He’s got players across the board, and it’s incumbent to get there now.”

Paul Finebaum, radio and ESPN television personality, gets ready to speak on television near activities outside the Superdome, before of the College Football Playoff National Championship game in New Orleans Monday, January 13, 2020. Pregame Fans Clemson Lsu Football Cfp National Championship New Orleans | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Now, Finebaum didn’t go as far as to say that Kiffin will be fired if he doesn’t live up to those expectations. Yet, the famed SEC talking head did at least joke about it.

“If he doesn't, as much as I would like to say Lane Kiffin ought to be fired, he's not going to be, and it's not even going to be close,” Finebaum said. “I say that jokingly because Kiffin has so much goodwill right now that even a subpar season is not going to change the optimism for the future.”

More Money, More Expectations

This opinion from Finebaum, while rather tame for his standards, isn’t exclusive to him. Many share the same sentiment, and rightfully so.

The former Ole Miss head coach took the job knowing that he must win and do it almost immediately. He takes over a program that has a history of contending for national championships, and as evidenced by the firings of Ed Oregeron and Brian Kelly, falling short of those won’t keep you in a job for long.

It’s not just those historical expectations, though, as Finebaum said there is already the financial pressure. LSU signed Kiffin to a seven-year, $91 million contract that includes escalators to make him the nation’s highest-paid coach if he wins a title. It is a hefty contract even as LSU is on the hook for Kelly’s $54 million buyout.

Then there is the roster cost: according to multiple reports, the Tigers racked up at least a $40 million roster exclusively from the transfer portal. As he did at Ole Miss, Kiffin signed a top portal class, injecting his program with 43 new players.

Anything short of a playoff appearance will be a disappointment in Year 1. But to Finebaum’s point, even in today’s world of college football, the Tigers hired Kiffin not because he could immediately win a championship, but because he showed at Ole Miss that he can build a sustainable contender.

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