Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin Gives Humorous Response to Paul Finebaum's Criticism

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin recently fired back at Paul Finebaum on social media.

Nov 23, 2023; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Something has to fill the void in summer, right?

In the college football world, the summers are spent giving predictions about the upcoming season, and recently, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum shared some rather strong doubts about the 2024 Ole Miss Rebels.

Ole Miss is widely expected to be in contention for a College Football Playoff berth this season, but Finebaum says he'll "believe it when he sees it," mainly because he doesn't buy into Lane Kiffin's coaching ability.

"I would say no," Finebaum said to Tulsa World's Berry Tramel. "Everyone in the media, Berry, we're on the older statesman side of it, is in love with Lane Kiffin. They think he's hilarious. I don't think he's that funny. I don't think his tweets are that interesting, and his coaching has been underwhelming at times. I'll believe it when I see it, and I haven't seen enough for me to believe right now."

Kiffin, who is never shy about his usage of social media, used it to fire back at Finebaum this week

"Why so angry Paul?" Kiffin wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "I think you’re funny. Also ⁦⁩@Vol_Baseball [Tennessee] won the Natty!!! How can you be in such a bad mood??"

This is just the latest interaction in the "rivalry" between Kiffin and Finebaum, and with SEC Media Days approaching later this month, that could provide some interesting talking points in Dallas.

Ole Miss returns a ton of talent from an 11-win team a season ago and brought in a ton of talent from transfer portal this offseason. With the College Football Playoff set to expand to 12 teams this year, the odds of the Rebels reaching the postseason have never been higher.

In fact, had this 12-team format been in place previously, Ole Miss would have made the cut in two of the last three years as it played in New Year's Six bowls in both the 2021 and 2023 seasons.

Kiffin will have his opportunity to prove Finebaum wrong this season as he aims to reach the newly-expanded CFP. Ole Miss will open its season at home against the FCS Furman Paladins on Aug. 31.