"They did not want him": Paul Finebaum scraps down Lane Kiffin to Alabama rumors with his latest take post-Nick Saban's retirement 

Paul Finebaum dismissed rumors of Lane Kiffin going to Alabama after Nick Saban's retirement, clarifying the situation. Alabama wasted no time, announcing Kalen DeBoer as head coach in less than 72 hours post-Saban's retirement.

Opinions flooded in on DeBoer and the Alabama coaching hunt, but according to Finebaum, Alabama was clear on not opting for Kiffin.

Recently, on “The Auburn Undercover Podcast,” Finebaum shot down the Kiffin to Alabama rumors. He said that Kiffin, though linked, never emerged as a top contender for Tuscaloosa's head coaching role.

Despite the buzz in the media, DeBoer was the top pick in Finebaum’s book, with a stellar 104-12 record over nine seasons.

"I think (Kalen) DeBoer was probably the best of the available," said Finebaum. "I'm not including Lane Kiffin, who was available and who would have taken it, but clearly they did not want him."

Last week, the Ole Miss coach took a tour of Tuscaloosa. The Rebels secured a commitment from Alabama corner transfer Trey Amos. Kiffin has been keeping it real about his travels and targets this offseason.

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Lane Kiffin's Rebels locking in star powers

Head coach Lane Kiffin

The Ole Miss Rebels’ offseason moves have been nothing short of impressive, especially in the transfer portal, snagging commitments from 15 powerhouse players in the SEC. They are sitting in the third spot nationally in On3's 2024 college football team transfer portal rankings with an Index Score of 63.

College football analyst Greg McElroy has been digging into Ole Miss' transfer portal dance and credited Ole Miss for focusing on the beefed-up defense.

Even with the loss of star runner Quinshon Judkins to the transfer portal, Ole Miss got some heavy hitters on the offensive squad like Juice Wells, Devin Price and the comeback crew of Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris and Caden Prieskorn.

According to McElroy's crystal ball, a 10-win season is in the cards for the Rebels under Lane Kiffin, with maybe a couple of losses to LSU and Georgia.

“Now could they potentially go 9-3 and still make the playoff? Sure, which is why I have their percentage chance that they make the 12-team playoff at 60 percent,” McElroy said on his show ‘Always College Football’.

“Just a lot of new faces, a lot of questions, a lot of unknowns, but you gotta feel good about the talent that they’ve added and the depth that they’ve added on both sides of the football.”

McElroy puts his money where his mouth is with a 60-percent shot at Ole Miss hitting the 12-team playoff. Why? Because he sees that talent boost is the real game-changer.