Paul Finebaum reacts to reports that Lane Kiffin is going to LSU
By David Wasson
Published:
As reporting continued Sunday morning about the future of current Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, college football pundit Paul Finebaum weighed in on the Lane Kiffin Sweepstakes and the back-room negotiations within the past 24 hours.
“It concludes one of the greatest odysseys we’ve ever seen in college football coaching, with him talking to, or at least talking about, going to 3 different schools – Ole Miss, LSU and Florida,” Finebaum said Sunday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “This was the one most people coalesced around in the final days. But what took so long is the question.
“Most people believe Kiffin meeting with the chancellor yesterday and the AD was either lobbying to coach in the SEC Championship Game, which would’ve happened if Auburn had beaten Alabama, and ultimately, the Playoff, which will happen a couple of weeks later. They apparently did not want him to do that. He tried to lobby them to have the team decide. They apparently chose not to do that as well.”
Kiffin is reportedly set to sign a 7-year deal with LSU worth more than $12 million annually, and would leave Ole Miss despite the Rebels having gone 11-1 and presumably earning a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Ole Miss reportedly had a team meeting set for 9 am CT Sunday morning, but that was delayed to Sunday afternoon.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
