Lane Kiffin jabs ESPN's Paul Finebaum over bad takes on Nick Saban, Miley Cyrus

Lane Kiffin remains the gift that keeps giving, even more than a month before college football's 2024 season kicks off.

Case in point: Kiffin taking down -- playfully, but pointedly -- ESPN on-air personality Paul Finebaum, a huge presence for the network particularly in its SEC-themed coverage.

After reminding Finebaum that he had tried to get Kiffin fired during his truncated run at USC, Kiffin also pointed out Finebaum's ill-advised takes on all-time great college football coach Nick Saban, as well as ever-popular artist Miley Cyrus.

"Really, I don't know what you're good at," Kiffin said as he trolled Finebaum on Finebaum's eponymous show. "You've predicted Coach (Nick) Saban was done; that didn't happen. You basically said Miley Cyrus stinks, and she's still going."

Cyrus has continued to be among pop music's most enduring stars of the past decade, and Saban not only was not done at the time of Finebaum's prediction but ended up winning additional national championships. 

"Oh, yeah yeah. When you got me fired at USC," Kiffin told Finebaum. "I got myself fired at USC. But you didn't help.

"You really didn't but it is a true story that the athletic director (at the time, Pat Haden) and the school president were on that trip. We were playing that night, and you were on College GameDay and you had to make your big splash. And they were watching it, because I know the other person in the room that was watching it with them.

"And you said what I joke I was. 'I'm the Miley Cyrus of college football coaching and I should be fired.' And they looked at each other and later that night I was fired."

Kiffin then said that his dismissal from USC has turned out to be a blessing that charted him on his current path, where his Ole Miss team is projected as a College Football Playoff contender and Kiffin has been richly rewarded with a long-term contract at the school.

"Look what happened: I would have never gotten to work for Coach Saban, all these other things wouldn't have happened," Kiffin said. "So I appreciate you for helping getting me fired."

Finebaum, now colleagues with Saban after Saban retired following the 2023 season, laughed as he had little to say.

"Anyway, it's always great to be ridiculed here by Lane Kiffin at SEC Media Days," the host said as he wrapped up the interview.