After wrapping up SEC Media Days in Tampa on Thursday, ESPN's analyst Paul Finebaum joined WAAYTV sports anchor Trevor Denton for an interview. Among other things, he discussed LSU HC Lane Kiffin and Alabama Crimson Tide HC Kalen DeBoer.

Finebaum spoke about Kiffin's press conference appearance at SEC Media Days. He acknowledged the reputation the head coach has built on social media and television, noting that Kiffin relies on a curated social media persona to hide his naturally shy, introverted personality.

"He's really not that funny. He's an awkward guy who's an introvert who plays a football coach on television," Finebaum said, via Trevor Denton on X.

He said Kiffin made one specific claim at the podium that nobody in the room believed. Kiffin told reporters at his SEC Media Days press conference that he does not pay attention to the media. Finebaum called that out directly.

"There wasn't one person in that room that believed that," Finebaum said, via Trevor Denton on X. "Because probably half of the room has gotten texts from Lane Kiffin about something that they had said on TV or written in some publication."

In the end, he admitted that none of it ultimately matters when it comes to Kiffin's future at LSU.

"It doesn't really matter what he said here. It matters what he does," Finebaum said, via Trevor Denton on X. "And I think he will probably win a national championship, not this year, but within two or three years at LSU."

Finebaum also took a shot at Alabama head coach DeBoer in the same conversation.

"They were closer to winning a national championship when he first got there than they are this year."

He pointed out that while he thought DeBoer was an excellent coach, success in Alabama would depend on wins on the field. But DeBoer had eight losses to his name instead.

Finebaum also spoke about how wins and losses aren't the only thing that mattered anymore. Money was also a factor that was necessary to "survive the NIL era," the analyst believes.

Lane Kiffin goes from Ole Miss to LSU with one of the richest contracts in the sport

Kiffin spent six seasons at Ole Miss before LSU came calling in November 2025. The Tigers handed him a seven-year deal worth $91 million total. At $13 million a year, only Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart earns more among college football HCs.

LSU also committed $25 to $30 million annually for roster spending through revenue sharing and NIL, per SI.

His LSU deal runs through December 2032. If he wins a national championship, the contract includes an automatic escalator that would make him the highest-paid coach in the country.

Finebaum said the real Lane Kiffin and the public version people see on social media are two very different things. The results at LSU will tell that story better than any press conference.

What do you think about Finebaum's take on Lane Kiffin? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit