You can count Paul Finebaum among those who don't think much of Lane Kiffin as a head coach, and he said as much on Monday's ESPN radio show.
"Kiffin may not rank among the Top 4 coaches in his own state," Finebaum said on Monday, per SEC Country. "Only if he wins big."
It's a bit ludicrous to consider at first, until you recognize the talent that has been pushed into the state of Florida in recent years. Jimbo Fisher at FSU, Mark Richt at Miami, Jim McElwain at Florida and Charlie Strong at USF are names Finebaum pitched as better than Kiffin. You could even make the case for Scott Frost and the miraculous job he's done at UCF.
Finebaum then went even further, chipping away at Kiffin's standing in Conference USA:
"I mean, you think about the coaches that are in that league," Finebaum said. "You've got (Middle Tennessee coach) Rick Stockstill, Butch (Davis) now at FIU, you've got (Skip) Holtz in that league. I mean, these are some pretty good coaches."
Kiffin turned down a reported big-time raise at LSU (more than a reported $2 million) and took significantly less money ($1 million per year) to return to a head coaching position.
After failed tenures with the Oakland Raiders, University of Tennessee and USC Trojans, this may very well be Kiffin's last chance to make a name for himself. Kiffin helped lead Alabama to a National Championship last year, and could do the same to finish his last season with the Tide.