Paul Finebaum has biting words for Kalen DeBoer, Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days
Published:
Paul Finebaum emerged from the craziness and chaos of SEC Media Days on Thursday in Tampa. The 4-day show was over, but the fun of SEC football in 2026 was just beginning.
In that spirit, Finebaum had some interesting words in the aftermath of Media Days when he was approached for a one-on-one interview with Trevor Denton, a sports anchor at WAAY TV out of Huntsville, Ala.
Finebaum was asked specifically about 2 of the most high-profile head coaches in the SEC — Kalen DeBoer of Alabama and Lane Kiffin of LSU. Both are under intense pressure to win, for different reasons, and both lead programs with passionate fan bases who are tired of coming up short.
Denton started with DeBoer, and Finebaum had plenty to say about DeBoer’s situation at Bama.
“They were closer to winning a national championship when he first got there than they are this year,” Finebaum said.
The ESPN college football analyst and top voice of all things SEC football didn’t stop there.
“I like (DeBoer) a lot. I think he’s an excellent coach. But that doesn’t have anything to do with being successful at Alabama,” Finebaum said. “When you’re the coach at Alabama, you need to win on the field, and he has 8 losses (so far), and you also have to inspire your fan base.”
Finebaum laid down the gauntlet on DeBoer.
“We want to hear some respect to the program that you were hired to take over. And the respect is, win a (national) title. You don’t survive at Alabama unless you win a title,” Finebaum said.
Then the interview turned to Kiffin, the first-year LSU head coach who had just spoken to reporters during his Media Days session earlier on Thursday.
“There’s the real Lane Kiffin and then there’s the Lane Kiffin that we imagine. Oh, he’s so funny on social media. He’s really not that funny,” Finebaum said. “He’s an awkward guy who’s an introvert who plays a football coach on TV.”
Finebaum did throw Kiffin a bone, believing the ultimate success is waiting for him in Baton Rouge down the line.
“He’s incredibly good at (being a coach). I know Lane very well. The line that blew me away (during Kiffin’s media session) was that I don’t pay attention to the media,” Finebaum said. “There wasn’t one person in that room that believed that. That’s just who he is. He’s got a shield around him.
“By the way, it doesn’t really matter what he said here. It matters what he does. I think he’ll probably win a national championship, not this year but within two to three years at LSU.”
Here are Finebaum’s full thoughts on DeBoer and Kiffin:
Finebaum’s words aside, Alabama and LSU will be battling for SEC supremacy this fall among the other conference powers. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for the top teams who could be taking it all in the SEC when the dust settles:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
