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Lane Kiffin Has One Major Problem With ESPN's Paul Finebaum

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 27, 2025 9:37 PM ET

It's no secret that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and ESPN's Paul Finebaum don't always see eye-to-eye.

Kiffin once gave Finebaum credit for getting him fired from USC. Although the longtime ESPN commentator didn't actually force the Trojans' hand, he was very critical of the offensive-minded coach.

Finebaum was even critical of Kiffin during the 2024 college football season. He said the Ole Miss coach had "some soul searching" to do after a tough loss to Florida.

"I think you’ll hear Lane Kiffin’s name," Finebaum said. "I don’t know if there’d be any legitimate openings this year, but I think at some point he’s going to have to take a deep, long look. I almost went to Auburn, he would say to himself, I thought about Florida. Do I continue here? Do I look to the NFL? I don’t know but I guarantee Lane Kiffin, once he wraps up the Egg Bowl, will have to do some soul searching."

During an appearance on "The Paul Finebaum Show" this Tuesday afternoon, Kiffin didn't hold back his thoughts on the popular SEC pundit.

Kiffin told Finebaum that he jinxes him every single time he mentions him for a prominent coaching job.

"I feel like whenever you push me for a job, then we like lose the next week," Kiffin said. "It's like you're screwing us up. Get all our fans mad that I'm leaving."

Finebaum couldn't help but laugh at that remark from Kiffin. He replied, "Your fans don't like me." That led to a hilarious response from the Ole Miss head coach.

"What fans do like you? What fanbase is like, they love Paul Finebaum?"

We got to give Finebaum credit for the way he handled these jabs from Kiffin. It may have been awkward at times, but neither side crossed the line.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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