The college football world watched Lane Kiffin return to Oxford with a heavy heart, but Paul Finebaum wasn't impressed by the show. After LSU's 32-24 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, the SEC Network voice unloaded on the Tigers' coach, labeling him a 'con man' and pouring cold water on the emotional narrative that dominated the pregame buildup.
Kiffin had talked openly about the difficulty of returning to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the first time without his late father, Monte, and the coach admitted to feeling more emotional than expected on the ride over. But Finebaum, appearing on Monday's 'McElroy and Cubelic' show, wasn't buying the human side Kiffin tried to sell.
'I didn't buy the whole 'I'm a human.' You know, not quite as good as 'I'm a man' with Mike Gundy,' Finebaum said. 'I mean, he is a human, but he's also a con man. And so it's always difficult to take his human reaction seriously because you know that underneath it, he's got something deceitful going on.'
Finebaum didn't stop there. He went on to suggest that Kiffin was playing the victim, saying, 'He's playing 'woe is me. I'm sure everybody is going to say this about me.' Lane, we just don't really care that much.' The ESPN personality then delivered the knockout line, declaring, 'The Lane Kiffin story died Saturday night.'
While acknowledging Kiffin's coaching brilliance—calling him 'a very good football coach, at times a savant'—Finebaum argued that the loss overshadowed any sympathy the coach might have earned. 'Had he won, his infamy would have been at an all-time high. Instead, he's fighting for his season Saturday night,' he concluded.
The game itself lived up to the hype, with Ole Miss jumping out to a 17-0 lead before LSU fought back, but ultimately fell short. Kiffin's shell-shocked expression during the early deficit quickly went viral, adding another layer to the narrative.
Off the field, the drama extended to Kiffin's family. His daughter Landry, who had been active on social media, went silent after the loss, while another daughter made headlines for her fashion choice at the game. There's also the subplot of his daughter dating an LSU linebacker, which added extra heat to an already charged atmosphere.
Finebaum's comments reflect a broader sentiment among some critics that Kiffin's public persona often masks a more calculating nature. The coach's history of job-hopping, from Tennessee to USC to Alabama and now LSU, has made him a polarizing figure. His decision to leave Ole Miss for what he thought was a better opportunity still rankles some in Oxford.
As LSU now faces a critical stretch, Kiffin's focus shifts to salvaging the season. But for Finebaum, the chapter is closed. The 'con man' label is likely to stick, at least in the eyes of one of college football's most influential voices.
