Paul Finebaum claims $87 million head coach has ‘serious issues’ after college football season

Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN announcer Paul Finebaum before the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Alabama finished 11–4 (7–1 SEC) in 2025, opening the season with a shock 31–17 loss at Florida State (Aug. 30) before knocking off No. 5 Georgia 24–21 in Athens just a few weeks later.

The Tide then rattled off an eight-game winning streak to reach the SEC Championship Game, where they suffered a 28–7 loss to Georgia on Dec. 6.

Alabama rebounded with a 34–24 road win over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff first round (Dec. 19) before being routed 38–3 by No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal on Jan. 1.

Those results, marquee upset wins mixed with several damaging losses, defined an uneven season under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.

On Monday, while appearing on "McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning," Paul Finebaum voiced concern about Alabama’s direction under DeBoer, saying that while early results, including the playoff win over Oklahoma, initially appeared encouraging, the program has lost momentum, and DeBoer faces mounting challenges heading into the offseason.

“I would say, even if you go back to the end of the regular season, even the SEC Championship Game, I didn’t feel that badly about Kalen DeBoer,” Finebaum said. “Especially when he was able to beat Oklahoma, it all seemed right.

"But everything has seemingly gone wrong since then. I think he has some serious issues heading into late winter, early spring, in trying to, not only add to his staff, but do something about the seeming direction of the program.”

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer walks on the field before the 2026 Rose Bowl | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Before arriving in Tuscaloosa, DeBoer was the head coach at Sioux Falls (NAIA; multiple national titles), Fresno State (2020–21), and Washington (2022–23). 

At Washington, he led the program to a Pac-12 championship and a College Football Playoff national-title appearance during the 2023 season, earning multiple national coach-of-the-year honors.

DeBoer then took over as Nick Saban’s successor amid significant optimism, and across his first two seasons at Alabama, he holds a 20–8 record.

DeBoer’s contract, signed in January 2024, is an eight-year deal valued at approximately $87 million ($10.875 million annually), is heavily guaranteed (roughly 90% if terminated without cause), and holds buyout figures estimated between $60 million and $63 million depending on timing.

As a result, the financial structure of the contract makes an early coaching change costly, placing increased emphasis on patience from the administration while fan and donor expectations remain high.

How Alabama navigates upcoming staff hires, transfer portal activity, and early-spring recruiting adjustments is expected to shape whether the program quickly reestablishes itself as a national-title contender or continues to face growing scrutiny.

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