Stephen A. Smith urges SEC to back off Lane Kiffin and LSU: ‘Sit your ass down’

In the ridiculous battle between the SEC and LSU, Stephen A. Smith is siding with Lane Kiffin and his polarizing football program.

The SEC filed an amended complaint against LSU and Lane Kiffin over the school’s pursuit of former NFL players, while also noting plans to vote on whether to expel the school from the conference. To that, Stephen A. Smith is claiming losing LSU would only be the SEC’s loss.

“LSU, you want to throw them out the SEC? Go ahead and do it. Watch. They ain’t gonna lose. They’ll be just fine, especially in the age of Lane Kiffin…SEC, sit your ass down.” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/zW8sFictEj

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 9, 2026

“Lane Kiffin pushed the envelope. It’s not a crime,” Smith said to Shae Cornette, Jordan Rodgers and Paul Finebaum Wednesday morning on First Take. “You brought him there to win. 102,000 people showed up there Saturday night. They didn’t get in for free! They paid! The university got paid for that. Clemson got paid for that. SEC got paid for that. What are you talking about?!

“And oh, by the way, Notre Dame…they’re an independent. LSU, you want to throw them out of the SEC? Go ahead and do it. Watch. They ain’t gonna lose. They’ll be just fine, especially in the age of Lane Kiffin. Could you imagine Lane Kiffin as an independent? Out there on the open market working for the LSU brand? Please. The SEC, sit your ass down. Sit your ass down.”

Smith claimed he would “raise holy hell” if Kiffin is punished for what he believes amounts to the head coach simply trying to exploit a loophole. But Finebaum argued the SEC is right to seek punishment and consider expelling LSU from the conference.

“The SEC can survive and will survive without LSU,” Finebaum argued. “This is about the future of college sports right here, and the commissioner and 15 other presidents are sending a message, ‘You guys are spitting in our face, and we’re gonna throw you out if you don’t sit down and get along.’ And if the president of LSU doesn’t stand up, they will do that. This is not saber-rattling, and this is not a joke.”

The expulsion vote is currently scheduled for Sept. 10. The odds that the SEC actually kicks LSU out of the conference might not be zero, but it’s probably pretty close. Smith and Finebaum are right, however, in noting that the SEC and LSU can both survive without each other. But this feels more like a fight over power and ego than an effort to save or improve college football.