Paul Finebaum Drops Harsh Reality Check on Major SEC Head Coach

SEC Nation analyst Paul Finebaum looks on prior to the game. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The Alabama Crimson Tide are improving under Kalen DeBoer, but improvement is not the same as acceptance. That is the challenge facing Alabama entering the 2026 college football season. Progress may satisfy most programs, but Alabama is not judged by ordinary standards.

Through two seasons, the results suggest a program moving in the right direction. Alabama improved from nine wins in DeBoer’s first season to 11 wins and a return to the College Football Playoff in his second.

For nearly every other program in the country, that trajectory would be viewed as proof that the transition is working.

In Tuscaloosa, it is still viewed as incomplete.

That is because Alabama is not chasing relevance. It is chasing a standard established by Nick Saban, and that standard is unlike anything else in modern college football. Six national championships in 17 seasons did not just elevate the program. It redefined what sustained dominance looks like.

That is both DeBoer’s greatest advantage and his biggest burden.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer watches in the second half. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He inherited one of the most talent-rich rosters in the country and one of the strongest infrastructures in the sport. At the same time, he inherited expectations that border on impossible. Alabama fans do not measure success by improvement. They measure it by championships.

That is why excuses will never carry much weight.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst pushed back against the idea that roster turnover before his first season should lessen criticism of DeBoer.

"Saban said it the other day... 26 players left, but DeBoer was the coach of record, and he's responsible for keeping those players there," Finebaum said.

"So, let's not give him a pass because Julian Sayin walked into his office and didn't like the meeting, and he ended up losing his future quarterback... DeBoer takes some of the responsibility for losing some of those players."

It is hard to argue with that logic.

Yes, Alabama lost major pieces through the transfer portal, including elite talents who could have changed the trajectory of the program, like Sayin and Caleb Downs. Losing players like that creates instability for any coaching staff. But Alabama is built to withstand attrition better than almost anyone.

That is why the criticism is fair.

DeBoer also inherited enough talent to remain nationally relevant immediately. The roster he stepped into was still loaded because of the foundation Saban left behind. That means Alabama’s struggles cannot simply be dismissed as transition pains.

At some point, the results become the responsibility of the current staff. And that is where DeBoer stands now.

The next step is no longer about proving he can keep Alabama competitive. He already has. The next step is proving he can get Alabama back to the top of the sport.

He does not need to match Saban’s dynasty. That is an unreasonable expectation for anyone. But he does need to show Alabama fans that the program is still capable of winning national championships under his leadership.

That is the only thing that will fully win over Tuscaloosa. At Alabama, progress earns patience for only so long. Eventually, progress has to become titles.