Paul Finebaum on what makes Lane Kiffin perfect for Florida: 'He grew up idolizing Steve Spurrier'

Lane Kiffin has been one of the most popular names in circles discussing potential replacements for former Florida head coach Billy Napier. During an appearance on SportsCenter on Monday, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum claimed Kiffin is the man for the job, while comparing him to an iconic Gators head coach.

“The answer is Lane Kiffin,” Finebaum said. “I’ve been to Gainesville recently, and every student that I ran into said, ‘Hey, can we get Lane Kiffin?’ He’s perfect for the job. And I’ll tell you a quick story that you already know, Matt.

“He wears a visor. Why? Not because he worked under Steve Spurrier. He grew up idolizing Steve Spurrier. He’s an offensive genius. He had a big loss the other day. Another loss, and he could be in CFP trouble, and I think that would be the first place they should go.”

Finebaum is far from the first person to compare Kiffin to Spurrier. The 50-year-old head coach takes the comparison in stride. During an appearance on Pardon My Take earlier this month, Kiffin admitted Spurrier inspired him to begin wearing a visor.

“I wanted to be Steve Spurrier,” Kiffin said. “When I watched him and his offenses in the visor and kind of the way he’d throw jabs at other coaches and team and stuff, I was like, Steve Spurrier is the man. That’s what I want to be.”

While Kiffin may idolize for the Florida legend, it won’t be easy for the Gators to draw him out of Oxford, Mississippi. Kiffin is in his sixth season at the helm of Ole Miss and thriving.

The Rebels are 6-1 after losing their first game of the season on Saturday against Georgia. Despite the loss, Ole Miss is in excellent position to make the College Football Playoff for the first time in Kiffin’s tenure.

Kiffin earns $9 million annually, and is eligible for up to $2.6 million in bonuses this season. To pile on, his daughter attends Ole Miss and he has a son who plays quarterback at a local high school.

Last week, Last week, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter revealed the program is eyeing a new deal with Kiffin. For now, Kiffin is ignoring any outside noise and focusing on coaching his team as well as he can.

“We don’t really talk about it,” Kiffin said. “I know that’s your guys’ job to bring it up and all that. We don’t really talk about it. Like, if we’re around there you wouldn’t know any different or anything. 

“We just stay in the work, stay in the moments, stay in the day. And really, that stuff has nothing to do with what we’re doing. …I think it’s a compliment to the amount of games we’ve been able to win here.”