Last year, the SEC finished with six teams in the AP Top 25 come season’s end. Among them were the usual suspects: powerhouses Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee. However, the Ole Miss Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin find themselves among the college football elite for the second time in three seasons. Ole Miss hired Kiffin in 2020 following three largely successful seasons with the Florida Atlantic Owls, and the results have remained steadfast. Kiffin’s prior head coaching experience in the SEC was an average showing in a one-year run with the Tennessee Volunteers, leaving some, like conference media personality Paul Finebaum, to question the Rebels’ decision to ink the now-49-year-old to a lucrative deal.
The polarizing Kiffin talked to Finebaum during SEC Media Days on Thursday, with the bench boss still holding a grudge over the talking head’s comments from years prior.
Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin: Takes Shot at SEC Media Mogul Paul Finebaum
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Don’t tell Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin that the media’s word means nothing. Kiffin made his Southeastern Conference Media Days debut on Thursday, speaking to none other than top conference contributor Paul Finebaum. The two have a checkered past, with Finebaum ripping Kiffin in 2013 while the latter held the head coaching job with the USC Trojans. Finebaum called out Kiffin’s ability to coach at the FBS and NFL level, claiming him a nepotism hire and the “Miley Cyrus” of college football.
In 2021, in Kiffin’s second season with Ole Miss, the frontman confronted Finebaum on his flagship show about his role in USC’s eventual firing of the then 39-year-old. It carried over to 2024 SEC Media Days, with the two again having a sitdown on Thursday.
Lane Kiffin WENT IN on Paul Finebaum 😂🤣 pic.twitter.com/AlmgZe0VVO
— SEC Unfiltered (@SECUnfiltered) July 18, 2024
“On College Gameday, you had to make your big splash, and they were watching it because I know the other person in the room watching it with them, and you said what a joke I was. I’m the Miley Cyrus of college football coaching and should be fired,” said Kiffin on the 2024 SEC Kickoff with Paul Finebaum.
Kiffin continued, saying, “But hey, look what happened. I would have never got to work for coach Saban. All these other things wouldn’t have happened. So, I appreciate you for helping me get fired.” Kiffin landed on his feet post-USC firing with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2014. Kiffin served as the offensive coordinator, helping the Tide win the College Football Playoff National Championship circa 2015. Kiffin also got a lick on Finebaum before the commercial break.
“Really, I don’t know what you’re good at. You predicted Coach Saban was done, but that didn’t happen. You basically said Miley Cyrus stinks, and she is still going.”
Kiffin: Entering Fifth Season at Ole Miss
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In year five of the Kiffin era, the Ole Miss Rebels have College Football Playoff aspirations after a fantastic 11-2 season last year. Ole Miss received a tremendous season from quarterback Jaxson Dart, with the former USC passer throwing for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five picks. He also rushed for 389 yards and eight scores.
Meanwhile, star wide receiver Tre Harris will return next fall. Harris led the team with 54 receptions, 985 yards, and eight touchdowns. Playing opposite Harris is Jordan Watkins and transfer Antwane Wells Jr. Watkins posted 53 receptions for 741 yards last season, while Wells collected 68 receptions, 928 yards, and six touchdowns in 2022 with South Carolina.
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