ESPN and SEC Network college football analyst Paul Finebaum said he is “considering” leaving the network.
Not for another TV gig — but for a role in politics.
Finebaum said this week he is considering run for the U.S. Senate on the Republican ticket following the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In a one-on-one interview with OutKick’s Clay Travis, Finebaum explained that “one or two people in Washington had reached out” to gauge his interest in politics — and that the killing of Kirk fueled a desire for him to be involved.
“It’s hard to describe, not being involved in politics, how that affected me and affected tens of millions of people all over this country. And it was an awakening,” Finebaum said of Kirk.
“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. I gave some thought to it as the weekend [after Kirk’s death] unfolded and got a little bit more interested.”
Take a listen —
Senator @finebaum? Paul Finebaum is seriously considering entering the Alabama senate race. For the first time he publicly says he is a @realDonaldTrump supporter and voter. We sat down for a long form chat this weekend in Athens. pic.twitter.com/5TAzdykU13
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 29, 2025
Finebaum, who’s remained quiet about his political beliefs due to ESPN’s policies of not expressing political beliefs, said that he would like to have a decision made “fairly soon.”
“I’ve been made aware that the qualifying deadline is in January; that’s ideal,” he said.
“I’d love to get to the end of the season. I don’t know if that’s realistic. I would like to make this decision fairly soon, in the next 30 to 45 days.”
Finebaum said he would fully commit to a Senate seat — but only if President Donald Trump called him to fill it.
“Impossible to tell him ‘no.’ There’s no way I could. I would tell him, ‘Yes,’ ” Finebaum said.
“The biggest issue is the direction of: ‘Where are we going [as a country]?’ And I don’t like some of that. When I watch a newscast, I know how biased it is because I do this for a living. And that’s incredibly disturbing. But I keep all this to myself. I feel this is a cathartic conversation for me because I’m saying some things that I really did not intend to say when I walked in this room.”
When asked by Travis if he voted for Trump, Finebaum laughed and said, “Yes, but [ESPN] also tells us not to discuss that.”
Finebaum, who was a columnist and radio host in Birmingham before joining ESPN, thinks he will “absolutely” be a good representative for the people of Alabama.
“One thing I don’t want to do as I sit here as a talk show host is to sound like a politician because I’m not. At least not yet. I’ve been speaking to Alabamians for 35 years,” he said.
“I feel like I know who they are. I think they know who I am. … You cannot hide when you’re on a radio show.”
Finebaum and his wife moved back to Alabama from Charlotte, where SEC headquarters is located, earlier this year.
“I’ve never said this before, but why am I going to hold this back?” Finebaum said. “I just moved and registered in Alabama, but I am a registered Republican in North Carolina as of this hour. And I was a registered Republican in Alabama before I moved.
“Alabama has always been the place I’ve felt the most welcome, that I’ve cared the most about the people. I’ve spoken to people from Alabama for 35 years, and I feel there is a connection that is hard to explain,” he said.
Tommy Tuberville, one of Alabama’s two U.S. senators, is running for governor of the state, which would likely leave the seat open for someone like Finebaum.