Paul Finebaum Names Major SEC Head Coach Under Intense Pressure

The Alabama Crimson Tide are entering into a pivotal Year 2 under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Kalen DeBoer Faces Defining Year 3 at Alabama

DeBoer took over following the unexpected retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban. DeBoer was fresh off leading the Washington Huskies to the national championship game and was one of the hottest names on the market. Alabama was able to land DeBoer, and in his first year, things didn't go to plan.

The Crimson Tide went 9-4, losing three games to teams that finished the year with five losses or more and didn't make the College Football Playoff. This had some fans questioning if the administration made the right move. However, his second year showed progress.

Alabama went 11-4, made the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. The issue is that the Crimson Tide were blown out 28-7 in the SEC title game, and while defeating the Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 in the first round of the College Football Playoff, they were blown out 38-3 by the Indiana Hoosiers in the quarterfinals.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on before the Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Paul Finebaum Thinks DeBoer is Under Intense Pressure

ESPN's Paul Finebaum appeared on "First Take" on Tuesday, where he discussed whether DeBoer or new LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin was under more pressure this season. Finebaum said it was clearly DeBoer.

"It is Kalen DeBoer, and the reason is Lane Kiffin just got there, and he left behind a team at Ole Miss that came within one play of playing for the national championship," Finebaum said.

"So, he deserves some credit... A bad season could very well wreck Kalen DeBoer. The last time we saw Kalen DeBoer on a football field, he had his lunch money stolen by Curt Cignetti. It was the most embarrassing loss in Alabama history."

Alabama's Standard Means Playoff Appearances Are Not Enough

Kiffin is entering into a new situation, and while LSU fans are eager to get back into SEC contention, they likely know Year 1 isn't realistic. DeBoer is entering Year 3. Alabama fans want to know now if they are still among the best in college football.

The issue for DeBoer isn't that his teams lost those crucial games; it was how they lost. Saban was rarely blown out. While it's unfair to compare DeBoer to Saban, it is fair to hold DeBoer to the standard of Alabama football.

DeBoer has already shown he can improve Alabama after a difficult situation following Saban's retirement.

However, the Crimson Tide are not judged solely on progress; they are judged on championships. Returning to the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff was a positive step, but Alabama needs to prove it can compete with the best teams in the country when the stakes are highest.

Year 3 will determine whether DeBoer is simply rebuilding Alabama into a contender or whether he can restore the program to championship-caliber status.

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