Paul Finebaum isn’t exactly easing up on Kalen DeBoer.
As Alabama heads into another season with expectations glued to the ceiling, Finebaum laid out the line DeBoer has to stay above if he wants to keep the pressure from turning into a full-blown hot seat conversation. The message was simple: at Alabama, the standard is still ruthless, even if the program has already logged a 20-8 record and a College Football Playoff appearance across DeBoer’s first two years.
Finebaum questioned DeBoer’s demeanor during a recent ESPN appearance on Get Up, even taking a shot by wondering whether he’s the first "AI-Generated" head coach. That comment followed DeBoer’s calm response to Alabama’s preseason ranking and the outside skepticism surrounding the program earlier this month.
From there, Finebaum made it clear what DeBoer cannot afford to do. First and foremost, Alabama has to make the College Football Playoff again.
"Well, first of all, if he misses the playoffs. That is the bare minimum. It used to be winning the national championship, now it's making the playoffs.
Even if Alabama gets into the 12-team field, Finebaum said last season’s ending still hangs over everything. The Crimson Tide beat Oklahoma in the opening round, but then were blown out by Indiana in the Rose Bowl, 38-3. That loss went down as Alabama’s worst in more than 20 years and the largest margin of defeat in a bowl game in program history.
That kind of finish, Finebaum said, is not something Alabama fans have brushed off.
"Making the playoffs and avoiding a 35-point loss like he did last year in the Rose Bowl," Finebaum said. "He won a road game against Oklahoma, but everybody forgot about it because of the debacle. It was the surrender in the fourth quarter by Alabama that still has many Alabama fans angry."
"They had never seen that before in the history of the Crimson Tide. Alabama rolling over, playing dead like they're in a dog show at Westminster," Finebaum continued.
"It was just embarrassing. So he has to overcome that."
Finebaum’s final warning centered on consistency. Four of DeBoer’s eight losses at Alabama have come against unranked teams, including a double-digit loss to a Florida State team that finished 5-7 last season. By comparison, Nick Saban lost to four unranked opponents in 17 years at Alabama, and three of those came in his first year.
That’s the bar DeBoer is being measured against, and Finebaum made sure to spell it out.
"He also has to avoid, for the first time in his brief career at Alabama, a four-loss season," Finebaum said. "Season one: four losses, season two: four losses, don't try that again, Mr. AI."
Alabama opens the season against East Carolina on September 5.
In Other News...
Alabama Is Sending A Clear Message With Its New Look D-Line
Alabama spent the offseason remaking the front of its defense, and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack made it clear the Tide wanted more size and more edge up front. The additions of several large transfer players, along with a demanding conditioning program, have changed the look of the defensive line in a hurry, giving the group a more imposing profile heading into SEC play.
The numbers alone tell part of the story: Alabama now has six defensive linemen who weigh at least 300 pounds and a dozen who stand 6-4 or taller. For a defense trying to hold up over the grind of the league schedule, that kind of mass and length is not just cosmetic. It is part of a broader push to make the front sturdier, tougher and better equipped for the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Defense Is Finally Taking On The Identity Nick Saban Wanted
Kane Wommack has spent the offseason steering Alabamas defense toward a look Nick Saban wanted more of, with more press coverage and a heavier emphasis on linebackers playing downhill. The shift marks a clear change in tone after Saban criticized the previous version of the unit for being too passive, and it has already started to show up in how the Crimson Tide are preparing for 2026.
Dijon Lee has been among the players pointing to the added attention on press coverage, a small but telling sign of where the defense is headed. For Alabama, the intrigue now is whether that more aggressive identity can carry from offseason work into a unit that looks less reactive and a lot more willing to force the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's Defensive Backs Are Carrying A New Level Of Swagger
Alabamas secondary has a different look to it now, and not just because of the names lining up back there. Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb bring experience, Zabien Brown adds another established presence, and true freshman Dijon Lee Jr. is already part of a group that sounds comfortable talking about its own standard. That confidence has been a theme around the defensive backfield as the Crimson Tide builds toward the 2026 season opener against East Carolina, with coaches Maurice Linguist and Kane Wommack pointing to the units leadership, work ethic and the way it has helped anchor a pass defense that has been among the SECs best.
Lees arrival is part of what makes the group feel different, because he is stepping into a room where swagger is not just tolerated, it is expected. Alabama has plenty to sell on the field, but the tone coming from the back end suggests the Tide believe their defensive backs are setting it, too. For a team trying to keep that pass defense sharp into the fall, the question is no longer whether there is confidence in the room. It is how far that confidence can carry once the games start. [Read more 🡒]