Paul Finebaum believes Lane Kiffin will be intrigued by LSU job

Lane Kiffin has done an incredible job building up Ole Miss. However, if LSU beckons him after firing Brian Kelly, Paul Finebaum thinks the Rebels head coach should listen.

The Tigers are one of the two coveted SEC coaching jobs vacant, with Florida being the other. Many have pinpointed Kiffin as the top choice for both programs, but the SEC Network analyst believes LSU would be tough for him to turn down.

“Kiffin, in my mind, always just seemed restless at Ole Miss,” Finebaum stated, via McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “As much as he has tried to convince everybody that this is his nirvana, I just don’t believe it. Yeah, he likes it there. His family likes it there. And that was all about not going to Auburn.

“This is different. This is one of those jobs that he has to — I mean, I’ve always thought he coveted Florida, but there’s something about LSU that’s even more attractive than Florida. And I just have a hard time believing that Lane Kiffin is not intrigued by it. I frankly believe he is.”

Even if he’s intrigued by the idea, Cam Newton doesn’t believe Kiffin should make the move. Despite LSU and Florida being premier destinations, the former Auburn star went against Finebaum, thinking Kiffin should stay at Ole Miss and build the Rebels into a national contender, blazing his own trail in the process. 

“I think the hottest person right now is Lane Kiffin, but I would be questionable to take that job if I’m Lane Kiffin, because you will be chasing somebody else’s greatness at any of the schools that are vacant,” Newton explained via First Take. “You’ll already be compared to Urban Meyer if you’re at the University of Florida.

“If you go to LSU, you have the likes of Ed Orgeron and, you know, Nick Saban and those guys and Les Miles. If you stay at Ole Miss — if I’m Lane Kiffin, I say, ‘Give me what I’m owed, and I can build something great that has never been here before.’

“Even with the likes of Eli Manning and the greatness of so many other players in Ole Miss history, you are able to create your own legacy. Something that hasn’t been done before. That’s why Indiana paid their coach, because they understand. There will be coaching vacancies, and the coaching carousel will move.

“But if I’m Lane Kiffin, and him being such a polarizing person, just with what he did this past weekend with shunning the player, I love that in a coach. I love the bravado that he brings. But I think he’s in the right space right there at Ole Miss, because he can create his own narrative, and now he doesn’t feel the pressure of everybody else.”

In the end, it remains to be seen what Kiffin ultimately decides. He’ll certainly have no shortage of choices when the time comes, and whether he remains at Ole Miss or heads to LSU or Ole Miss, his star will continue to shine bright. Finebaum recognizes that much at least.