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Afternoon Edition

December 2, 2025

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Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU has pulled an unexpected figure into the controversy: Nick Saban. His behind-the-scenes advice—and on-air commentary for ESPN—has raised questions and sparked debate over whether his influence crossed a line.

— Amanda Christovich [[link removed]], Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]], and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Is Nick Saban’s Involvement in Lane Kiffin’s LSU Hire a Conflict? [[link removed]]

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

The controversy surrounding Lane Kiffin’s abrupt exit from Ole Miss [[link removed]] to take the head coaching job at LSU has embroiled someone not employed by either university: Nick Saban.

During his introductory press conference Monday, newly minted LSU coach Kiffin confirmed former Alabama coach and current ESPN analyst Saban counseled him to take the job in Baton Rouge. The news prompted many to wonder whether Saban’s involvement might be a conflict of interest, given that he also argued on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday that Ole Miss should allow Kiffin to keep coaching the team through the season even if he leaves for LSU.

It was clear at that moment Saban was deeply tied up in the situation: In private, he advised Kiffin to leave Ole Miss; in public, he voiced his support of a special exception Kiffin was pushing for and did not get.

Saban, as an analyst, is considered more of a retired coach on air than a journalist. But he’s being paid to comment on football matters and coaching moves—while apparently doling out career advice to those same subjects.

ESPN declined to comment on any potential conflict when reached by Front Office Sports on Monday night.

When news first surfaced suggesting Kiffin was in talks for the LSU position, it was expected that Saban would counsel Kiffin in one way or another. Saban is not only one of Kiffin’s known mentors, but he is also a client of renowned CAA agent Jimmy Sexton while at Alabama—the same agent who negotiated Kiffin’s move to LSU. (Saban was even rumored to have been offered the job before Kiffin.)

On College GameDay on Saturday, Saban defended Kiffin’s potential choice to leave Ole Miss just before the team’s College Football Playoff run—and went so far as to suggest the Rebels should allow Kiffin to coach through the Playoff even if he signs a contract with their biggest rivals in the SEC.

“This is not a Lane Kiffin conundrum,” Saban said. “This is a college football conundrum.” He added: “None of this is fair to the players.” Saban also said he believed Kiffin should be allowed to coach at Ole Miss.

Saban also appeared to convey Kiffin’s current line of thinking on the LSU job offer: “I think one of Kiffin’s apprehensions is that he’s had to use the portal to build his team at Ole Miss each year. And at LSU he probably could recruit better talent and then just supplement his team by need with the portal.”

Criticism mounted [[link removed]] even before Kiffin confirmed Saban’s counsel. ESPN announcers, as well as fellow analyst Kirk Herbstreit, were also criticized for their defense of Kiffin. “You’ve never done what you’re doing right now,” Herbstreit said. “Let Lane Kiffin—if he leaves—and these players finish the run this year.” He was criticized for these comments by multiple national college football reporters.

Finally, in Baton Rouge on Monday, Kiffin all but confirmed that Saban told him to leave Ole Miss for LSU. “Coach Saban kinda coached at another place in this conference, so I can’t … really say exactly what he said,” Kiffin said, pausing for laughter in the room. “I’ll say I think the world of Coach Saban, and I respect him, and so there’s a reason why I’m here.” His comments were followed by a round of applause.

On Tuesday, LSU posted a quote from Saban praising the hire. “I have no doubt he’ll be a great fit at LSU, and I’m confident he’ll continue to elevate the tradition and meet the expectations of the program at a high level.”

Saban is hardly the first coach or player turned sports media analyst to get caught between their current TV role and their connections inside the sport itself. Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady has been criticized for the apparent conflict [[link removed]] in covering NFL games—which involves press access to teams, players, and coaches—while also being a part-owner of the Raiders.

Saban is completely out of the coaching game. But the question persists: At what point does a network that employs a former coach or player consider that person’s continued direct involvement in the sport they cover a conflict of interest?

SPONSORED BY AT&T BUSINESS

The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a second extension of their current collective bargaining agreement just minutes before the first extension expired Sunday night. The CBA now runs through Jan. 9, 2026. [[link removed]]

The league initially proposed a 21-day extension, while the union countered with six weeks on Nov. 30, the day the original CBA was set to expire, a source told Front Office Sports. Both sides ultimately agreed to extend the agreement by nearly six weeks. As with the previous extension, either party can opt out with 48 hours’ notice.

Despite meeting consistently over the past month— including through the holiday weekend [[link removed]]—the league and union have yet to make sufficient progress to ratify a new CBA.

Check out the women’s sports content hub [[link removed]], presented by AT&T, to read the full story [[link removed]] and stay up to date on all things women’s sports.

Paul Finebaum Says He Won’t Run for Alabama Senate Seat [[link removed]]

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images.

Paul Finebaum will not be leaving the microphone for politics.

Finebaum, the longtime college football talk host at ESPN and SEC Network, told AL.com [[link removed]] that he is taking his hat out of the ring to replace Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville.

“I have been deeply moved by so many people in Alabama who have reached out encouraging me to run for the United States Senate,” Finebaum said in a statement to the outlet. “It has been a gratifying and rewarding experience. I am also appreciative of my bosses at ESPN for allowing me to explore this opportunity. But it’s time for me to devote my full attention to something everyone in Alabama can agree upon – our love of college football.”

This qualifies as a relative surprise. The chatter in industry circles had been that ESPN decision-makers and SEC officials were bracing for Finebaum to run [[link removed]]. Since Finebaum revealed in an interview with Clay Travis [[link removed]] that he was considering a run for office, some of his regular callers were effectively treating their on-air conversations as a goodbye.

It was not immediately clear why Finebaum, 70, decided not to run for Senate. Finebaum would have run in the Republican primary, which is May 19, 2026; he’s out of the race before opponents would begin attacking him in the media and elsewhere.

An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on Finebaum’s decision to opt out of the race, but they confirmed the host will continue in his regular roles. Finebaum just signed a multiyear extension with ESPN this past August.

EXCLUSIVE

WNBA Proposes Team Housing Changes, Earlier Season Start

The WNBA is pushing for a seven-figure base max salary but is also moving to cut team housing and shift the season earlier, Front Office Sports has learned. Those changes could collide with the NCAA tournament and potentially other leagues, such as Project B. For more on the WNBA’s proposal, read Annie Costabile’s exclusive story here [[link removed]].

CFP Hopefuls Stick With Coaches on the Way Out—Except Ole Miss [[link removed]]

The Register Guard

As Ole Miss prepares for a College Football Playoff run without former head coach Lane Kiffin, who was introduced at LSU [[link removed]] on Monday, at least five other CFP contenders are also affected by the timing of the coaching hiring cycle, which has drawn the ire of many fans and pundits across the sport.

Six of the top 21 ranked teams in the final AP Top 25 poll of the regular season (the CFP rankings will be released Tuesday night) are impacted by Power 4 coaching hires:

No. 4 Oregon: Offensive coordinator Will Stein has been hired as Kentucky’s new coach; he will reportedly remain with the Ducks through the CFP. No. 6 Ole Miss: Promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach after Kiffin left. No. 11 BYU: Coach Kalani Sitake has emerged as Penn State’s top coaching target, according to multiple reports. The Cougars play in the Big 12 championship Saturday. No. 19 James Madison: Coach Bob Chesney expected to be named UCLA’s new coach after Friday’s Sun Belt Conference championship game. UCLA has reportedly agreed to let Chesney coach JMU in a potential CFP run. No. 20 North Texas: Coach Eric Morris has been hired as Oklahoma State’s new coach but is staying with the team through Friday’s American Conference championship game and any potential CFP run. No. 21 Tulane: Coach Jon Sumrall has been hired as Florida’s new coach [[link removed]] but is staying with the team through Friday’s American Conference championship game and any potential CFP run.

The North Texas–Tulane winner in the American Conference championship game is likely to earn an automatic CFP bid [[link removed]] as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions. Tulane was the sole Group of 6 program ranked in last week’s CFP rankings, at No. 24. But JMU could also potentially steal a spot [[link removed]] if unranked Duke were to upset No. 16 Virginia in the ACC championship game Saturday.

Champagne Problems?

The ability for Stein, Chesney, Morris, and Sumrall to finish out the postseason [[link removed]] with the teams they’re leaving comes as Kiffin fought hard to do the same [[link removed]] at Ole Miss, but ultimately had his request denied. However, no one besides Kiffin is being hired by an in-conference rival. It’s unclear whether BYU would let Sitake coach in the CFP if he chose to accept the Penn State job.

College football’s early signing period for 2026 recruits runs from Wednesday through Friday, so the above coaches will be pulling double duty as they help their current teams prepare for upcoming games while simultaneously making final pitches for top high school players to join them at their next stops.

The first round of the CFP will take place Dec. 19–20, and the quarterfinals Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, meaning several more weeks before some coaches will be able to officially start their new jobs.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Lane Kiffin’s LSU Move

FOS illustration

FOS reporter Amanda Christovich discusses Lane Kiffin’s introduction at LSU, which has sent ripples through the SEC, and his emotional press conference raised new questions about loyalty, timing, and how powerhouse programs shape the future of college football. As debates swirl around agent influence, contract negotiations, and fan reactions, it is another reminder of how high-stakes this coaching carousel really is.

Plus, Olympic fencer Miles Chamley-Watson joins the show to discuss his vision for a modernized World Fencing League. From new technology that gamifies the sport to a reimagined way of showcasing elite athletes, fencing is getting a fresh presentation aimed at bringing in new fans and giving young athletes a clearer path forward.

Also, Asset Class writer Ben Horney joins us in the studio as he details the FTX lawsuit and its new settlement with Udonis Haslem.

Watch the full episode here. [[link removed]]

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Bill O’Brien ⬆ Boston College is retaining its football coach for the 2026 season despite the team’s 2–10 record this year. O’Brien went 7–6 in his debut season in 2024, including an appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl. Boston College is hiring Kenyatta Watson as its GM. Watson, a BC alum, most recently served as an assistant GM of recruiting at Auburn.

Michigan State ⬆ The school’s athletic department has launched a $1 billion capital initiative [[link removed]] aimed at improving facilities and the college-athlete experience. The campaign, called For Sparta, has already raised $250 million, with a goal of reaching $1 billion by 2032.

MLS ⬆ The league said Tuesday that it is averaging 711,000 viewers per playoff match through the conference finals, up 23% from a year ago. The audience bump, powered in part by the ongoing run of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami [[link removed]], builds on similar rates of growth during the regular season.

ACC ⬇ Miami AD Dan Radakovich said the conference should change its tiebreaker system after the No. 12 Hurricanes, the league’s highest-ranked team, were kept out of Saturday’s championship game [[link removed]]. “We’ve got to get a little better … and I can’t tell you what the answer is right now,” Radakovich told ESPN [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Maya Brady, niece of NFL legend Tom Brady, was selected No. 1 overall [[link removed]] by the Oklahoma City Spark in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s expansion draft. LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s contract is loaded with perks. It includes private jet use, first-class recruiting travel, a suite at LSU games, and more. Check it out [[link removed]]. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton made a remarkable Week 13 return [[link removed]] just three weeks after emergency surgery for a sudden testicular cancer diagnosis, which was discovered through a random NFL drug test. The 31-year-old missed only one game. Editors’ Picks The Thunder Are 20–1. Their Future Is Even Brighter [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]OKC has the league’s best record and a war chest of picks. Tiger Woods Eyes Leaner PGA Tour Schedule—and ‘Financial Windfall’ [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The PGA Tour is considering a major schedule shift. Ilana Kloss on Sabalenka-Kyrgios: No One Is ‘Going to Take It Seriously’ [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios will play in Dubai on Dec. 28. DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you rank the top five biggest college football stadiums by total capacity?

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