Paul Finebaum considers factors that could play into Lane Kiffin, Florida coaching search

Florida coach Billy Napier might have temporarily cooled his seat ever so slightly with a win over a ranked Texas team on Saturday, but the pressure persists. The Gators head man remains under fire, in large part thanks to his 21-22 overall record with the program.

And there’s one man that the majority of the Florida fanbase seems to be coalescing around in the event Napier gets canned. That’s Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

ESPN personality Paul Finebaum spent the weekend on Florida’s campus in Gainesville. After talking with fans and people connected with the program, he did his best to explain the affinity for Kiffin on The Matt Barrie Show on Sunday.

“Comes down to a couple things,” Finebaum said. “Talked about this with Steve Spurrier Friday. He wears a visor. And he was a Steve Spurrier fan growing up. And his ex-wife’s father was the starting quarterback at Florida. Those are the only reasons I can tell you.”

From the Florida side, there are some other obvious reasons. One, Kiffin is winning at a high level.

He’s on track to win 10 games for the fourth time in the last five years. That was a feat that had been accomplished only seven times in Rebels history prior to his arrival. So he’s winning at a historic clip in Oxford, Miss.

Second, Kiffin wins with a style of offense that would be coveted by Florida fans. It’s wide open, as opposed to the more ground-based approach Napier employs.

But will the timing work out? Ole Miss seems to be in the middle of a potential playoff run. Meanwhile, Napier is showing signs he could rebound again like he did last year, winning the final four games of the 2024 season.

“And I think a year and a half ago, Lane Kiffin let it be known that maybe he was interested, but by the time the job didn’t come around I think he was happier where he was,” Finebaum said. “It’s a conundrum, Matt, like everything that we talk about based on variable fact.”

Of course, while Kiffin might the Vegas favorite to get the Florida job if it opens, that’s not to say every fan wants him. Some Finebaum talked to had very different ideas.

“I had a fan approach me Friday and said, ‘Who do you like?'” Finebaum said. “And I go, ‘I don’t know.’ He goes, ‘My top two choices are Jon Gruden and Ed Orgeron.’ OK, good.

“And by the way, Orgeron, the farther he gets away from his coaching days, I’m sure he’s gone through all his money, so he might need the job. I don’t know whether he’s hireable. And Gruden is an enigma. There are so many things about Jon Gruden, can you parachute him into a college football program? He’s never coached; I’m not trying to compare him to (Bill) Belichick, but Belichick couldn’t look more clueless. Is Gruden going to be better?”

There are far fewer concerns when it comes to Kiffin at Florida. But there are, as Finebaum noted, plenty of variables at play. The largest might be that Napier remains employed.