Paul Finebaum is moving back to the state of Alabama.

The SEC Network analyst confirmed the move to AL.com on Monday afternoon.

“We have been talking about moving back for several years,” Finebaum said of he and his wife, Linda. “We have been gone nearly 12 years and felt this was the right time.”

The Birmingham Business Journal reported Finebaum bought a 12,165-square-foot estate that sits on 2.3 acres in Mountain Brook with a price tag of $5.162 million.

It’s a five-bedroom, eight-bath home, which features a double staircase and chandelier imported from Florence, Italy, the BBJ reports, per the listing.

“We came in for a quick visit during Christmas,” Finebaum told The BBJ. “At the last second, our agent, Mary Harmon Muir-Taylor, took us by the Mountain Brook house, and we were smitten.”

In August, Finebaum and ESPN agreed on a multi-year contract extension. His role as host of “The Paul Finebaum Show” and as a commentator on “SEC Nation” have continued. In addition, “Finebaum Friday” continues to travel to SEC campuses and game sites.

“While Paul is shifting his primary residence back to Birmingham, ‘The Paul Finebaum Show’ will continue to originate from Charlotte,” an ESPN spokesman told AL.com.

Finebaum is expected to continue in his current capacity after the move.

Finebaum is a mainstay in the SEC, having served as host of the Paul Finebaum Radio Network (2001- 2012) and previously spent decades as an award-winning columnist and investigative reporter for the “Birmingham Post-Herald” and later the “Mobile Press-Register.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.