Paul Finebaum Issues Harsh Reality Check to Elite College Football Coach

The pressure is always on at the top of college football, and especially at the top of the SEC, and most especially at Alabama.

Such was the task that Kalen DeBoer took on when he accepted the chance to take over for college football’s most accomplished head coach and lead the program that has defined and dominated the sport in this century.

The results have definitely been mixed, with DeBoer sitting at 20-8, losing four games in each season and sitting on some frustrating defeats, particularly to close out last season.

Paul Finebaum weighs in

Paul Finebaum Issues Harsh Reality Check to Elite College Football Coach — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Where do things stand with DeBoer as he heads into his third season at Alabama? For Paul Finebaum, we should have a clearer picture this fall.

“I think some of it depends on the interim, because he still has to get out of this period that we’re in,” Finebaum told McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning of this early DeBoer era at Alabama.

“I think we all agree he’s a very good recruiter. That is important. It’s not as important as it was five or 10 or 15 years ago. I think the leadership skills are somewhat to be determined because he is not what Alabama has had.”

Was last year a success? That's up for debate.

“If you want to have a debate class, you can take either side of that argument,” Finebaum said of trying to judge DeBoer’s and Alabama’s performance last fall.

They did win two more games and made the College Football Playoff, but the back half of the year left a lot to be desired when considering the annual expectations.

“You could say it was a very good season because Alabama had to make the playoffs and they did. They played in the SEC Championship Game. They did a lot of things they’re supposed to,” he said.

“You could also flip it around with the bookend losses to Florida State and Oklahoma and the two abominable losses, really, to Georgia and Indiana,” Finebaum added. “It’s a take your pick. It’s why this next season is so critical.”

Alabama in 2025 was a mixed bag

The things Finebaum says they were supposed to do? Beat a lot of ranked SEC teams, as they did against Georgia on the road before downing resurgent Vanderbilt, Missouri, and Tennessee in four straight ranked victories midseason.

The things they weren’t supposed to do? Lose by two touchdowns and get manhandled in the opener by a Florida State team that won two games the year before and would finish 5-7, and lose at home to an Oklahoma team that played some of the worst offense in the country.

Ty Simpson helped carry the Alabama offense, leading the 29th ranked passing attack in the country, but the Crimson Tide placed just 125th in FBS in rushing offense, a combination that was all too evident towards the end of the season.

"This season is critical"

The very end of Alabama’s season was an emotional roller coaster. One that ultimately crashed.

A rematch against Georgia for the SEC championship resulted in a forgettable 28-7 loss, but the Tide was able to mount an impressive comeback to take down Oklahoma on the road in the first round playoff game that gave fans hope.

That hope evaporated in the Crimson Tide’s listless performance in a shocking 38-3 loss to eventual national champion Indiana in the quarterfinal round.

“Maybe he will finally get comfortable in this job. And I think what turns some people off is his quiet demeanor, but Alabama fans have to accept that,” Finebaum said.

“This season is critical, and I say that knowing what his contract says and how it reads, but the program can’t start to slide back. Because fans are restless.”

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