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Paul Finebaum mocks Lane Kiffin hot seat question: 'In what world?'

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison07/14/25dan_morrison96
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Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Now a veteran in coaching, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is no stranger to the hot seat. On the wrong end of an iconic, or perhaps infamous, firing at USC where he was left on the tarmac, Kiffin knows the feeling when pressure is boiling over. That’s not something he’s run into yet in Oxford, even if some outside voices might argue for it.

During SEC Media Days, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum appeared on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. There, he pushed back on the idea he’s received from some shows that Kiffin could potentially be on the hot seat going into the 2025 season.

“The funniest thing is one of the shows that Greg [McElroy] and I will be doing later,” Paul Finebaum said. “I’m not going to mention the name, they sent me a question earlier. [They] wondered, ‘Do you think he should be on the hot seat?’ And I’m like, ‘In what world are we with Lane Kiffin?'”

Lane Kiffin first got to Ole Miss in 2020 after three seasons at FAU. There, he inherited a team coming off a 4-8 season and recent sanctions. After a 5-5 start in a season marred by the pandemic, Kiffin got things going in a major way. In 2021, Ole Miss would win double-digit games for the first time since 2015. Their 2023 Peach Bowl win was their first New Year’s Six win since the 2016 Sugar Bowl as well.

“It’s not real. It’s not real, but I think perception is that because he didn’t make it last year to the CFP and everybody thought,” Finebaum said. “And I tried to gently explain to this producer, he’s really beloved. He’s getting a new deal every other week. But, sometimes we live in this bubble and the rest of the world watches from an Eastern locale.”

Ole Miss is a program that has struggled at times in its history. Sitting in the SEC, they’ve won six conference championships, but none since 1963. They’ve also won three national championships, but none since 1962. So, it’s been a long time since Ole Miss has consistently been competing at the sport’s highest levels.

In 2025, Lane Kiffin is hoping to get the program over the hump and both compete for an SEC Championship and then to their first ever College Football Playoff appearance. It’s not an easy task, of course, and it starts with hosting Georgia State on August 30th to open the season.