Watch: Lane Kiffin roasts Paul Finebaum for predicting Nick Saban's future at the 2023 SEC Media Days
Lane Kiffin took a dig at ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum about his opinion on Nick Saban during SEC Media Days. The Ole Miss coach believes the show host is one biggest motivators of Saban through his continuous criticism of the Alabama coach.
Finebaum is known to hold the opinion that the era of dominance of Nick Saban is over and the end of his Alabama dynasty has come. However, Kiffin believes the wild takes about the Alabama coach only energize him, making things difficult for other teams.
In a sarcastic statement, while speaking during his SEC Media Days session at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Kiffin said:
“It’s why we have Finebaum, so he can motivate (Saban) every other year and say, ‘Oh, his dynasty is over, and this is the end of Saban,’ and we’re like, ‘Hey, thanks a lot for p***ing him off’. And Paul is always wrong on this. He just did it again the other day: ‘He doesn’t make the playoffs, he’s not any good as a coach.’ Thanks, Paul.”
Lane Kiffin on the dynasty that Nick Saban has built at Alabama @abc3340
"It's why we have Finebaum to motivate him every other year and say oh his dynasty is over and then we're like hey thanks a lot for pissing him off" pic.twitter.com/U30PUdBDxv
Alabama missed out on the College Football Playoff last season. The recency bias definitely doesn't favor them when compared to Georgia for example. However, Saban's resilience has brought him this far, and there's no doubt about what Saban, who has won seven national championships (six with Alabama), can achieve with his team.
Lane Kiffin believes the state of college football is a disaster
At the SEC's media days, Lane Kiffin talked about the transfer portal and NIL deals, describing the present state of college football as disastrous. The Ole Miss coach believes the two concepts are creating issues in the sport.
According to Kiffin, he sees the positive side of players being able to earn compensation through NIL deals, as it provides them with opportunities for financial gain. However, he also points out that this has resulted in an unregulated free-agency system.
“We've got professional sports, except with no salary cap or luxury tax, and the result is myriad 'issues' for coaches," Kiffiin said. "And I'm not complaining about it, 'cause we take advantage, obviously, of free agency.
"You've got a lot of pay-for-play going on, and it is what it is. Those two things combined, there just is not a system in place, and I don't think there's any other sports at any level that are like this. It's just created a lot of issues."
.@finebaum responds to Lane Kiffin calling the state of college football "a disaster":
"He may be right about the state of college football, but when it comes to hypocrisy, Lane Kiffin just retired the trophy." pic.twitter.com/7ZBS5ElmYL
Despite Ole Miss being one of the most active programs in the transfer portal throughout the country this year, Lane Kiffin is not a fan of the window.
“That's the world we live in. But at the same time, I don't think that's really good for college football," Kiffin said. "These massive overhauls of rosters every year really is not in the best interest of college football.”
As Lane Kiffin takes charge of his fourth season with the Rebels, he hopes to record another winning season like the last two. He has a 36-23 record at Ole Miss and will hope to get better on that next season.