Paul Finebaum is a prominent voice in college football, particularly within the SEC. His strong, and sometimes divisive, opinions have sparked controversy, especially when criticizing head coaches. The ESPN personality and radio show host has more than 44 years of experience working in the industry, which has led to reasonable speculation about retirement. However, Finebaum, 69, appears to have no immediate plans to step away.
“It’s been suggested to me to retire immediately,” Finebaum said last week when asked by Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz if he has thought about retirement. “But I enjoy it. I mean, I really do. As long as there are people like coach [Drinkwitz] to kick around, I mean, I’ll keep going.”
ESPN hired Finebaum in 2013 to host the “Paul Finebaum Show” on the new SEC Network, which is simulcast on ESPN Radio. Finebaum admitted he is not as tough on college coaches as he once was, describing himself as a former “coach killer” but now seeing himself more as a “cheerleader.”
“Paul, what do you think, the SEC’s gotten a little soft, man,” Drinkwitz said. “Last year we didn’t have a single head coach fired. There was only one offensive coordinator change. I mean, what do you make of that?”
All 16 college football head coaches from the SEC return for the 2025 season. There were only a handful of coordinator changes within the conference as well. A stark contrast for a league that typically sees consistent turnover if expectations are not met on the field.
“Well, it’s pretty devastating for me of course. No coaching changes,” Finebaum said. “… I’ll tell you what, if you coaches don’t start getting back in the national championship game, we will be firing a few of you.”
Finebaum was critical of the SEC after it finished 1-5 against the Big Ten in bowl games, including two College Football Playoff losses. The SEC failed to advance a team to the national championship game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004-05. Finebaum said in January the recent SEC decline is concerning.
“This is a dramatic moment,” Finebaum said. “[Missing the national championship in back-to-back seasons] is a seminal moment in time that I didn’t expect, especially with the 12-team playoff. The last time this happened was before (Nick) Saban. Urban Meyer had just arrived at Florida. Les Miles was about to start roaming the sidelines. We are a moment that is cause for a lot of concern, at least in the southern part of the world.”
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The Big Ten won consecutive national championships this past season with Ohio State claiming the first 12-team College Football Playoff after Michigan was victorious in the final year of the four-team format.
Grant Hughes contributed to this article.
