Paul Finebaum reacts to Lane Kiffin's comments on coaching rumors: 'He is likely to leave'

No one yet knows where Lane Kiffin will be coaching next season yet between Ole Miss, LSU, and Florida, with an announcement to come by Saturday after the end of the Rebels’ regular season in the Egg Bowl. But, based on the circumstances, as well as his latest comments yesterday, Paul Finebaum believes we all should already know by now, and it isn’t going to be Oxford.

Finebaum said so during an appearance to discuss Kiffin while on ‘Get Up’ on Tuesday morning. He, in reacting to some of what he said at his press conference to open the week, feels Kiffin won’t be back for another season there because, if he were going to be, he would’ve or should’ve said by now that he’s returning to Ole Miss.

“Well, it’s what he didn’t say. He didn’t say, ‘I definitely will be here and coach my team in the College Football Playoff‘. That is not difficult,” said Finebaum. “You can ask almost any coach who is in the College Football Playoff Poll right now and they will give you that answer. Kiffin nuanced it, which means one thing. He is likely to leave. Otherwise, he simply has to say, ‘I just agreed to a new deal with Ole Miss. I’ll be here the rest of my life. I’ll be making zillions of dollars‘. End of story.”

Nothing is that simple when it comes to the character that is Kiffin. But, regardless of how much attention this storyline is getting, it could have been long ended by now by the man it’s centered on as he makes his decision between offers from the Rebels, Tigers, and Gators.

As for what that’d mean beyond the Egg Bowl being played in Starkville on Black Friday, with Ole Miss (10-1) all but certain to be in the College Football Playoff, Finebaum wouldn’t expect Kiffin to be on the sidelines for the Rebels. He, while knowing how unheard of that would be, too thinks it’d be just too much of a distraction from playing for a chance at a national title, as he’d, at the same time, be preparing to take another job elsewhere in the SEC.

“That would be a normal thing to think about, but it seems pretty obvious Ole Miss has told him you’re not going to stay. I think the distraction would be immense. He would be recruiting, trying to get players from his own team to leave with him,” said Finebaum. “I think that would be a disaster. But, the idea of a coach leaving before the College Football Playoff? We are way, way in unprecedented territory here.”

A few days out still from the weekend when a decision is expected, Kiffin is still the only one who knows what he’s going to do, and the only one who can share that. But, in reading between the lines of his non-answers on Monday, Finebaum thinks those are going to be proof of his eventual answer in leaving Ole Miss.

Finebaum: Kiffin doesn’t believe he can win championship at Ole Miss

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said Lane Kiffin doesn’t believe he can win a national championship at Ole Miss, hence the tease about leaving for LSU or Florida. Granted, these are Finebaum’s words, and Kiffin could turn around, stay, and win a title this year in Oxford.

Finebaum previously said Florida would be the better fit for Kiffin over LSU, but that Ole Miss is the best spot for the head coach as everything is currently constructed. But, sometimes, that’s just not enough.

“I think he’s best off where he is,” Finebaum said on ‘Get Up’. “That’s where he’s happy. How many times have you heard him say everything is finally gone my way? Kiffin has battled a lot of demons, and he’s overcome them, but he seems intent on leaving, and the reason is very simple. I don’t believe Lane Kiffin thinks he can win a national championship at Ole Miss. I don’t know why he doesn’t think that, considering where they are in the polls right now and the amount of money.

“But, clearly, as he looks around, Florida seems like a slightly better fit. But LSU is the hot school. LSU has won national championships under (Nick) Saban, Les Miles, even Ed Orgeron. They didn’t win one in four years under Brian Kelly, and that’s why they paid to get rid of him. So it seems like LSU, right now, is the hot team. It could change, because we are dealing with Lane Kiffin.”