Paul Finebaum believes Lane Kiffin’s awkwardness is just who he is, as the LSU head coach continues to face criticism for his unusual temperament.
Now that spring practice has concluded, the media and LSU supporters have had numerous chances to learn more about the 50-year-old coach, who has attended several news conferences in Baton Rouge in recent weeks.
Perhaps the most notable of these was when Kiffin claimed that his efforts with his coaching team over the years have garnered him praise from their spouses back home, which came shortly after he made his most recent rage-baiting post on social media.
Kiffin appears to be a totally different person online. The former Ole Miss head coach has gained recognition for his somewhat strange postings, quotes, and photographs, which frequently upset the majority of the college football community.
Perhaps that is why he suffers to remarks about his character whenever he appears on camera, since he rarely has the same intensity as he does on social media.
According to Finebaum, this is simply his personality, although he has somehow never allowed it to influence his work on the field with any team he has coached.
Lane Kiffin being weird is just who he is, Finebaum stated on a recent episode of The Paul Finebaum Show. He’s always been that way. It doesn’t matter where he has been. He’s the same individual.
He is not a social person. He despises human connection. For some reason, he is able to overcome this in recruiting because he is a very effective recruiter, which is how he usually operates.
So far during his stint at LSU, Kiffin has helped build one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, bringing in players such as No. 1 quarterback and overall player in the class, Sam Leavitt, and several former Ole Miss commits, including TJ Dottery, Devin Harper, and Winston Watkins.
Fortunately for Kiffin, his track record indicates that any perceived personality flaws have not harmed his performance, which explains why LSU selected him to lead the program back to the top of the college football world.
Furthermore, the Tigers are not looking for a flawless personality match; all they want is a coach capable of winning at the highest level on a regular basis. That is how his tenure will be defined, not by his actions in front of the cameras.
Elsewhere, Finebaum warned Georgia head coach Kirby Smart that fans are growing concerned with the program’s failure to achieve College Football Playoff success, despite the fact that it won back-to-back national titles four years ago.
The Bulldogs continue to be one of college football’s biggest names, easily defending their SEC championship with a 28-7 triumph over Alabama in 2025, but despite their conference supremacy, he is not giving supporters with the ultimate reward.
