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Paul Finebaum wonders if Alabama will regret not considering Lane Kiffin after Nick Saban’s retirement
By Andrew Olson
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Paul Finebaum cannot help but wonder if Alabama overlooked an obvious candidate when finding its Nick Saban successor. The SEC Network host appeared on AL.com’s Beat Everybody podcast to examine the state of the Alabama program one year after the legendary coach retired.
As one would expect, Finebaum and host Ben Flanagan began by looking back on the day that rocked the college football world, and then reviewing Year 1 under Saban’s successor, Kalen DeBoer. Finebaum raised some concerns with the first post-Saban season, even going as far to say he’s currently uncertain whether DeBoer was a good hire. Finebaum said he finds DeBoer likable and considers him a good football coach, but still has questions about the overall fit of DeBoer at Alabama and wonders whether the former Washington coach is cut out for the year-round culture of Crimson Tide football.
“I thought DeBoer was a good hire. I’m no longer in that camp, but I’m not sure where I am,” Finebaum said after pointing out some missteps by Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne.
Finebaum’s comments on DeBoer’s hiring prompted Flanagan to ask a follow-up question. Finebaum’s answer went in an interesting direction, openly pondering a familiar name that might have been a better fit for the program.
“Let’s go back and think about who were the other options,” Finebaum said. “It came down between DeBoer and (Florida State head coach) Mike Norvell. I mean nobody can cast their lot with Norvell after truly the most disastrous season I’ve ever seen a contender have.
“But the name that keeps being brought up by people is Lane Kiffin. Because Lane Kiffin, even though he didn’t make the playoffs either, he seems to get a lot out of his players. And it just feels like Kiffin never got a shot, never got a call. And I wonder – I just ask this out loud, is that something Alabama is going to regret?”
Kiffin had a memorable 3-year stop in Tuscaloosa, serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2014-to-2016. He is one of the most frequently cited “Saban Rehab” success stories of coaches who rehabilitated their careers by spending time on Saban’s staff in Tuscaloosa.
Kiffin was fired during the 2013 season at USC. At that time, he had a 35-21 record as a college football coach at Tennessee (7-6, 2019) and USC (28-15, 2010-13). He left Alabama to become the head coach at Florida Atlantic in 2017, going 26-13 in 3 seasons.
The 2024 season was Kiffin’s 5th at Ole Miss. He has a 44-18 record with the Rebels, bringing his post-Bama record to 70-31.
While former Alabama assistants Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian made public statements about remaining at their current schools during the Alabama coaching search, there was no indication that Kiffin was considered for the position.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
