Paul Finebaum ‘Very Close’ to Leaving ESPN

Paul Finebaum remains “very close” to leaving ESPN to jump into national politics, sources tell Front Office Sports.

ESPN’s star SEC radio and TV host is waiting to make a decision on his political future until after the college football season wraps up, sources say. His current contract with ESPN runs through mid-2027.

As Finebaum first told Clay Travis of OutKick, he’s considering a run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican in Alabama. 

The 70-year-old told Travis that the assassination of Charlie Kirk made him rethink his life priorities. Even though Finebaum didn’t know Kirk personally, the Turning Point USA founder’s grisly murder left him “numb” and “empty.” But it also gave him an “awakening.” He began considering his second act. 

“One or two people in Washington had reached out to me about whether I would be interested in politics, something I never thought about before. Something I didn’t really think possible,” he told Travis. “I gave some thought to it as the weekend [after Kirk’s murder] unfolded and got a little bit more interested.”

The timing is right if the “Mouth of the South” really wants to enter politics. Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn football coach turned U.S. senator, has launched a run to become governor of Alabama. If the Republican senator is victorious, that could provide a window for Finebaum, who made his bones at the Birmingham Post-Herald and Mobile Press-Register before starting The Paul Finebaum Show on local Alabama radio. He went national with ESPN in 2013.

Finebaum is tight with retired Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who also considered running for an open Senate seat from Alabama. Finebaum told Travis he probably would have stood down if Pearl launched a bid. Instead, Pearl has joined TNT Sports as a studio analyst for its college basketball coverage.

Finebaum’s decision to sit down with Travis—ESPN’s chief critic—went over like a lead balloon with top brass in Bristol, sources say. He was briefly pulled from some studio shows in early October, before returning to the air.

Since that dustup, Finebaum has continued to be the “Voice of the SEC” for ESPN during a record-breaking year for the network’s college football viewership. He hosts his eponymous, four-hour radio show five days a week. It’s simulcast on the SEC Network. 

He’s also a frequent guest on the network’s biggest studio shows, ranging from Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter to SEC Nation and College Football Live. On Wednesday, Finebaum appeared with Stephen A. Smith, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, and Shae Cornette on First Take to discuss the latest College Football Playoff rankings.

Despite the ongoing carriage standoff with YouTube TV, ESPN is posting record college football ratings this season. Through Week 11, games are averaging 2.1 million viewers, up 16% from last year, and the highest mark since 2011.

During an appearance on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, Tuberville said Finebaum would make a strong contender. But he warned he’s “got to be a Trump guy” if he wants to win in Alabama. 

“He’s made a name for himself. He’s got 100% name ID in Alabama,” said Tuberville, who’s been friends with Finebaum for 30 years. “But he’s also made everybody mad in Alabama at one time. But that was his job.”

ESPN declined to comment on Finebaum.