Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Program That Doesn't Pass the Eye Test

The Alabama Crimson Tide are improving under Kalen DeBoer, but improvement is not the same as acceptance.

Through two seasons, the results suggest progress. Alabama moved from nine wins in DeBoer’s first year to 11 wins and a return to the College Football Playoff in his second. At most programs, that trajectory would signal stability and optimism. At Alabama, it creates debate.

That is because progress is not the standard. Dominance is. And that expectation still comes from the shadow cast by Nick Saban.

Saban’s tenure did not just elevate Alabama. It redefined what sustained success looks like in college football. Six national championships in 17 seasons turned the program into the sport’s benchmark. That level of consistency was never going to be easily replaced, yet it continues to shape how every game, every decision and every season is evaluated.

DeBoer is not just building a program. He is following an era that many still expect to continue. That tension is becoming more visible.

Head coach Kalen Deboer directs players during Spring Practice at the University of Alabama. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” a caller named Jim questioned whether Alabama under DeBoer passes the same standard that existed under Saban, pointing to a perceived lack of discipline and urgency.

"The Alabama teams under DeBoer so far, they just don't pass the eye test," Jim said. "They just kind of go through the motions, and you just didn't see that under Saban... I don't know if it's discipline, it just doesn't pass the eye test."

Paul Finebaum agreed with that assessment, reinforcing a concern that has started to surface among the fan base.

"Jim, you are 100% right," Finebaum said.

It is not just about wins and losses. It is about how those wins look.

Under Saban, Alabama rarely appeared out of control. The program was defined by structure, accountability and consistency.

Even in close games, there was a sense of command. That visual standard became part of Alabama’s identity, and anything that falls short of it feels like regression, even when the record suggests otherwise. That is the challenge DeBoer faces.

Trying to replicate Saban would be a mistake. There is no blueprint for duplicating a coach of that caliber, and attempting to do so would likely create more problems than it solves.

DeBoer’s success will depend on establishing his own identity while still maintaining the discipline and expectations that made Alabama elite. That balance is difficult, but necessary.

Because while the standard may be unrealistic, it is also unavoidable. Alabama is not judged against the rest of the country. It is judged against its own history. That history demands more than incremental improvement. It demands championship contention.

So far, DeBoer has not reached that level.

The blowout loss in the playoff still lingers, reinforcing the idea that Alabama is not quite back among the sport’s elite. Until that changes, skepticism will remain. Progress will be acknowledged, but it will not be enough to fully win over a fan base conditioned to expect more.

That does not mean DeBoer is failing. It means he is operating within a reality that few coaches ever experience. At some point, Alabama will have to move forward.

The Saban era is over, regardless of how difficult it is to accept. The longer the program measures itself solely against that standard, the harder it becomes to recognize what comes next.

DeBoer does not need to be Saban. He needs to prove that Alabama can still reach the top without him. Until that happens, the shadow remains.

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