It’s that time of year again.
Southeastern Conference Football Kickoff Media Days kick off on Monday and run through Thursday. The location is new. For the first time ever, the event will be held in Tampa, Florida. But fan expectations remain the same. They are always extremely high for the conference, which gave rise to the slogan: ‘It just means more.’
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To learn more about some of the SEC storylines, we recently caught up with Paul Finebaum. Nobody knows the pulse of the conference better than the ESPN analyst.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
What are reasonable expectations for Lane Kiffin’s first year at LSU?
Paul Finebaum: “I think the expectation is for him to make the college football playoff. I think anything other than that will get an enormous amount of attention. I don’t think you could say it’s playoff or bust for him because he’s got a $91 million contract. He has such goodwill.
“I know I’m accused sometimes of throwing hand grenades at coaches, but even I would have a hard time saying it’s a disaster if he doesn’t make it because I think he’s recruited so well. He’s so effective in the portal. And nowadays in college football, the main reason you don’t make the playoffs is that you probably whiffed on the quarterback. He’s putting all his eggs in Sam Leavitt. He’s the No.1 player in the portal. So, he’s done pretty much everything right so far.”
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Which SEC coach is on the hottest hot seat right now?
“(South Carolina’s) Shane Beamer, and I don’t think it’s really close. Beamer was 10-2 two years ago and had a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Then last year, the bottom fell out. He’s had too many bad years to, I think, survive another one. And the most important thing with Beamer is that the person who hired him is gone. Jeremiah Donati is the new AD. That doesn’t mean you immediately fire the coach, but I just don’t think he can afford another losing record, or he will be gone.”
How big of a deal is it that the SEC hasn’t won a national championship since the 2022 season?
“It’s a big deal. When you’re the SEC, and you boast with the best of them, and all the cliches and the monikers, and you don’t make it to the national championship game three straight years, you’ve got a problem. That intensifies the pressure. And that’s where we are right now… “I covered a lot of Nick Saban in my career. I remember walking out of stadiums when Alabama was undefeated, and they lost a national championship game, which they did a couple of times. And the season felt like a complete failure. I think it will be a failure for the SEC if the league does not win the national championship this year.”
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Who’s the best player in the league?
“There’s a long list, but I’m going to give you the one a four-year-old could have come up with, and that’s Arch Manning. I just think he has such upside and potential. Yeah, there are defensive players out there who might be more in tune with what an NFL team needs. But I think he’s a generational player. I know I got into trouble saying that to you a year ago, but he still is. I think what he did in the second half of the season only intensified the belief that he’s the best player in the league.”
Is there any chance Arch Manning stays in college after this season?
“I know a constitutional lawyer would argue there is precedent within the family. Peyton Manning could have been the No. 1 pick in the mid to late 90s. He came back. But I think it is almost impossible to believe that Arch is coming back. I think the odds I would put it at are infinitesimal… I think Arch Manning has done everything he can do. He’s been there forever. He’s got all the experience in the world. Yeah, he’s making a lot of money, too. He’s having a great life. But my belief is he’s gone.”
If you could attend one SEC game this fall, which one would it be?
“Sept. 19, LSU at Ole Miss. We’ve had games like this in the past. I remember Saban played LSU in 07, and then went to LSU in 08. LSU fans were angry that Saban left, but they still loved him because he brought them a championship. By the time he got back in 08, he had really brought two championships. The one he won and the one Les Miles won.
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“Kiffin at Tennessee was intriguing, but Kiffin at Ole Miss, considering how raw the departure was, how absolutely Shakespearean it was. I know I’ve given you a long answer for a very easy question, but I cannot imagine that if you had one day to live on earth and were a college football fan, you wouldn’t park yourself at Vaught Hemingway Stadium on that Saturday night.”
Is there an incoming freshman or transfer you’re especially eager to see?
“As far as a transfer, (wide receiver) Cam Coleman. He’s coming over from Auburn. He was one of the top players in the state of Alabama. He was the top player, I should say. He went to Auburn over Alabama, and now he chose Texas over Alabama. It’s rare for Alabama to lose a player twice. I don’t think the nation really saw his capabilities at Auburn. You saw a little bit of it in one or two games, but he’s a game changer.”
Turning away from the SEC, do you regret your remarks about Dabo Swinney?
“I think there are Clemson fans who think I wake up in the morning and go, ‘How can I attack Dabo Swinney today?’ That is not true. Dabo Swinney is the one who does the damage to himself. When you’re as great as he has been, when you’ve won two national championships… you don’t need to tell the media sitting in front of you how good you are, how good you once were. You understand the media.
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“I’m on Get Up, and I’m asked a question. They played Dabo, and what am I supposed to say? That it makes perfect sense that a guy who was once considered an elite, one or two best coaches in America is now giving you his record…. I gave that response because it’s honest, and it’s truthful. The biggest mystery I have is why the Clemson fans are so clueless. Why they can’t see in front of them. Go to an eye doctor and get an examination, and you’ll see your program has fallen.”
How close were you to running for U.S. Senate?
“Pretty close. I’ll try to make it as succinct as I can, but I was asked to run by some very powerful people in Washington. A group of sitting senators called me. They were unhappy with the field. The Republicans were going to win in Alabama, whether I ran or not, but Bruce Pearl was wooed first. He chose not to run, and they turned to me. Why? Name ID. That’s very important in politics. They told me I had a 95% name ID in Alabama. That would translate into fundraising, and I considered it for a long time. It happened right as football was starting last year. I was trying to balance the two, and in the end, it’s not really terribly relevant anymore, but I just couldn’t do it.”
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Why did you decide not to do it?
“I’m somebody who likes to speak the truth. If I was giving you this interview as a senator, I wouldn’t have told you anything. I would have just simply read the talking points of my party’s platform, and you would have said, ‘Thank you.’ After about five minutes, ‘I think I’m going to find somebody more interesting.’ I couldn’t do that. I think I was going to win. That’s the hard part. … In the end, I feel very comfortable and confident with the decision, and I appreciate you remembering.”
The post Paul Finebaum on early expectations for Lane Kiffin, the SEC’s title drought, and Arch Manning appeared first on Awful Announcing.
