Paul Finebaum compares LSU, Ole Miss programs after Lane Kiffin’s move

Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU became official on Sunday, ending weeks of speculation and bringing a seismic shift to the SEC. On Monday morning, Paul Finebaum wasted no time diving into the debate on ESPN’s Get Up. 

He wondered which program is truly better between Kiffin’s two choices in LSU or Ole Miss: “The easy answer is LSU is a much better job,” Finebaum said. “But that is until you look at the last couple of years, where Ole Miss has been the better program and is infinitely better right now. 

“LSU fired their coach and paid him $53M. It looks like a better program for this reason — national championships seem to come to LSU. Nick Saban won one. Les Miles won one. Ed Orgeron won one with Joe Burrow. Ole Miss hasn’t won a national championship in college football since John F. Kennedy was President.”

Finebaum emphasized that the reputation difference is built more on history than present-tense results. He noted that “in many ways, Lane Kiffin had a much better program where he was until yesterday.”

Regardless, Kiffin’s decision now reshapes both programs. The 50-year-old ends a six-year run at Ole Miss in which he elevated the Rebels to unprecedented heights, including their first likely College Football Playoff berth. 

He won’t be on the sideline to guide them through the bracket, but the legacy he leaves is unmistakable. It includes a 55–19 record in Oxford, and the most successful stretch in school history.

After officially accepting the LSU job, Kiffin opened up to ESPN’s Marty Smith about the weight of the decision: “It just was really difficult,” Kiffin said. “This has been a really special place. 

“Six years here. I hope that when [the emotions] settle down, there’s an appreciation about what we were able to do here having the best run that’s ever been done in the history of this school.”

Kiffin’s path to this moment has been turbulent at times. A one-year run at Tennessee, a high-profile tenure at USC that ended midseason in 2013, and a rebuilding stretch that took him through Alabama and FAU before landing in Oxford. But at Ole Miss, he rebuilt not just a program, but his identity within the sport.

Reflecting on his journey, Kiffin shared a memory about his late father, longtime coach Monte Kiffin, and the impact a coach can leave behind: “When I spoke at my dad’s funeral, all the people showed up from all the different spots he coached, and they said he was able to impact them,” Kiffin said.

“So I’ve really strived since that day to really try to impact people and help people through life through my journey. So just prayed a lot and made a family decision. Hopefully get a chance to go impact a whole new set of people.”

As Kiffin begins his next chapter in Baton Rouge, he leaves behind a transformed Ole Miss program. On the other hand, he’s walking into one where championships aren’t just goals, but expectations. Time will tell if he can deliver in that aspect. 

— On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article.