Paul Finebaum was not impressed with Lane Kiffin's performance Saturday in a 24-10 loss to Alabama.
Some have touted Kiffin as a potential successor to Nick Saban whenever he decides to step away. However, on Monday, after Ole Miss' defeat to the Crimson Tide, Finebaum appeared on the "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning" show to put an end to this theory.
"I'm glad you brought that up because I quit arguing with fans on the subject. I had never seen it, and sometimes maybe you think you know too much. To me, it's just that there's a lot of mistrust of Lane Kiffin, in terms of his behavior," Finebaum said. "He behaves like a child. Last week, it was on center stage. There's no reason for this. I mean, I do not think — two things I will say. Lane Kiffin will not succeed Nick Saban, nor will Lane Kiffin ever beat Nick Saban."
Finebaum continued to pile on, saying he believed that Kiffin wasn't built for one of the best coaching jobs in college football. The Alabama standard in football is to be and win big games, which Kiffin has yet to do since he left Southern Cal.
"Yeah, I'm sure there's plenty of fans out there, north of town, south of town, east and west, who think he's cute on Twitter. That's great, he is. Everything you've said about his coaching is true. I feel the same way about him that you do. But he is not built for Bama, to steal a cliche that many Alabama fans live by. I think he would fail there because there's just something missing in his DNA," added Finebaum. "Other than the fact that I think I read today that his biggest win since leaving Southern Cal is against Indiana in a bowl game a couple of years ago. He just does not perform well in these games. It's not only Alabama, Greg. As you know, you've done enough of his games. He might pull one out this weekend against LSU. He needs to because the season — the SEC season, will be lost without it."
Everyone, including Kiffin himself, believed Saturday presented his most promising opportunity to secure his first victory against Saban in five attempts. A win would have sent a strong message to the Alabama decision-makers who will ultimately select Saban's successor.
Instead of getting a victory on the field, Kiffin had to settle for winning the internet with his multiple shots fired at Saban and Alabama on social media throughout game week.
Following a strong start to the season with an average of 52 points per game during their 3-0 start, Kiffin generated significant controversy by implying that defensive coordinator Kevin Steele had been relegated to a lower role within the Alabama coaching staff. However, during the game, they could only produce one touchdown and one field goal. This meager total of 10 points equaled the lowest regular-season point output for any of Kiffin's teams in his five-year tenure as an SEC head coach, four years at Ole Miss and one year at Tennessee.
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