Paul Finebaum Still Can’t Shake His Lane Kiffin ‘Miley Cyrus’ Jab: VIDEO

ESPN college football commentator Paul Finebaum has caused quite a splash this week after speaking with OutKick's Clay Travis.

Not only did Finebaum announce his intentions to possibly run for Alabama's Senate as a Republican candidate, but Clay also asked him where things stand these days with Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.

There's clearly no love lost between the two.

EXCLUSIVE: Paul Finebaum 'Considering' Leaving ESPN To Pursue U.S. Senate Seat As A Republican

Finebaum reflected on the moment he once compared the fiery Kiffin to Miley Cyrus — which, as he noted, wasn’t exactly meant as a compliment.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 30:  Sportscaster and ESPN personality Paul Finebaum sits on the set of SEC Network prior to the 2025 Aflac Kickoff Game between the Syracuse Orange and the Tennessee Volunteers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - NOVEMBER 02: Head Coach Lane Kiffin of the Ole Miss Rebels walks off the field after a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 02, 2024 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Rebels defeated the Razorbacks 63-31.  (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Clay asked: "What’s your relationship like with Lane Kiffin?"

"Anytime you have Lane Kiffin on, I stop and I watch the whole interview. It's unscripted, there's always a little tension and conflict, and I never know what’s going to happen after each question. The interaction is unpredictable, and that’s what makes it compelling."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: Miley Cyrus attends An Evening with Miley Cyrus Presented by Spotify at The Metrograph on May 06, 2025 in New York City.  (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Spotify)

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels looks on during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 07, 2023 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Then he added with a laugh: "It's like getting in a vacuum for 10 or 12 minutes and forgetting what’s going on. The last two interviews we’ve had were epic — and I couldn’t tell you a single thing we actually said. My relationship with Kiffin? Well, let’s just say I hated his guts when he left Tennessee. And I think most of Tennessee felt the same way."

Clay jumped in: "I think that’s accurate."

Listen to the full clip.

Finebaum then shared one of his favorite stories about Kiffin.

"In 2013, the SEC Network had just hired me, but it wasn’t launching until 2014, so they put me on College GameDay. I’m sitting in a meeting, and Chris Fowler says, ‘We’re gonna come to you and ask about the quarterback situation at USC.’ And I thought, who cares …

"So when they asked me live, I just went off on Kiffin. I said he’d never have gotten his job without his father. And I capped it off by saying, ‘Lane Kiffin is the Miley Cyrus of college football.’

"Now, keep in mind, Miley Cyrus wasn’t exactly having a great moment at that time. I walked off the set, nobody said a word to me, and I had no idea Kiffin was still one of the golden boys. When I landed back home, my wife picked me up and said, ‘Why in the world would you say something that dumb about Lane Kiffin?’"

A decade later, that off-the-cuff jab still defines Finebaum’s complicated relationship with Kiffin.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela