Paul Finebaum announces he will not run for U.S. Senate

After two months of speculation, Paul Finebaum has announced a decision regarding his political future.

Speaking with Al.com, the ESPN college football personality revealed that he will not run for the Alabama U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor in the state in 2026. Speaking with OutKick’s Clay Travis in September, Finebaum said he was considering such a run, citing the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as the catalyst for his potential move to politics.

“I have been deeply moved by so many people in Alabama who have reached out encouraging me to run for the United States Senate,” he told Al.com. “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.”

Finebaum’s flirtation with public office wasn’t without controversy, as multiple reports indicated that the longtime SEC personality had been “banned” from ESPN airwaves in the week after his interview with Travis, as he had been absent from the bulk of his usual weekly assignments. The Worldwide Leader in Sports, however, publicly denied the claim, with the 70-year-old regularly appearing on ESPN programming throughout the remainder of college football’s regular season in the weeks since.

For the better part of the past two months, Finebaum has largely kept quiet regarding his political future, indicating that he would make an official announcement following the conclusion of the college football season. In his initial interview, he also publicly revealed that he is a Republican who supports President Donald Trump, stating that it would have been “impossible” to tell him no had he encouraged him to run for the Alabama U.S. Senate seat.