One of the biggest storylines entering the upcoming college football season is how the LSU Tigers will fare in the first season of the Lane Kiffin era. Kiffin infamously accepted the job last season following the program’s ousting of Brian Kelly, which forced him to step down as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels despite Ole Miss being in the College Football Playoff.
The expectations are sky high in Baton Rouge now, after Kiffin was able to get the Rebels, a program with a fraction of the resources, to the playoff. However, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum wants Kiffin to replicate his success in year one with his new team.
“The most intriguing name on whether he’s overrated or not is Lane Kiffin,” Finebaum said in a video call into Crain & Cone.
“If @LSUfootball doesn’t make the CFP this year I would put @Lane_Kiffin at the top of the OVERRATED LIST”
–@finebaum on who the most overrated coaches are pic.twitter.com/zUMs0mWGxI
— Jake “JBOY” Crain (@JakeCrain_) May 6, 2026
“And I think a year from today, if you have me back and Lane Kiffin has not made the playoffs, I would put him at the top of the list because it’s so hard to give him total credit for what happened last year because he did not do the most important thing on the Ole Miss schedule.
“He didn’t win those playoff games. He didn’t beat Georgia. Now, he beat Georgia 2 years ago at home, but I am somewhat underwhelmed by Lane Kiffin’s overall record against top 10 teams.”
It may seem like a tall ask for anyone in the first year of the job, but considering the way that Kiffin left Ole Miss, it may just be a fair read on the situation.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.