Paul Finebaum on Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU: 'He has been talking to Nick Saban all along'

On Sunday, Lane Kiffin officially announced he’s leaving Ole Miss to become LSU‘s next head coach. During an appearance on The Matt Barrie Show, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum suggested Nick Saban played a role in Kiffin’s decision to accept LSU’s offer.

“Kiffin said, I believe it was Friday night or Saturday, that he’s going to call Pete Carroll and Nick Saban. Come on. He has been talking to Nick Saban all along,” Finebaum said. “Most people firmly believe that Nick Saban, who once fired Lane Kiffin—as most others have—is suggesting to him or has suggested to go to LSU.

“I’m told that Saban said, ‘Had I stayed there, I would have won more national championships.’ That is debatable, by the way. But, I think it shows that LSU is an easier place to win. There’s really no other distractions, even though recruiting is national now—the portal and all that—it is just a place that most coaches, even Ed Orgeron, could not miss winning a national championship.”

Kiffin served under Saban at Alabama from 2014-16. He was ultimately fired in January 2017 and replaced by current Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. From there, Kiffin became FAU‘s head coach.

Saban knows firsthand what it’s like to coach at LSU. He was the Tigers’ head coach from 2000-04. He posted a 48-16 record at the helm of LSU, won two SEC championships and one national title.

He left LSU to accept an offer to be the Miami Dolphins’ head coach in the NFL. He only coached at the professional level for two seasons before accepting an offer to be Alabama’s HC and returning to the collegiate level.

Saban’s decisions ultimately paid off, but some pundits are skeptical that Kiffin will have the same luck. While Finebaum ultimately believes Kiffin will success at LSU, he thinks the 50-year-old HC’s decision was made out of self-interest.

“As somebody who really likes Lane Kiffin, I feel badly that because of greed, because it’s better over there than it is where I am, even though my team is ranked in the Top 10 and LSU is nowhere to be found,” Finebaum said. Kiffin is going to blow up yet another SEC campus for his own personal greed.

“I hope he’s successful and I think he will be successful. But, ultimately, he still doesn’t have a championship on his resume.”