Paul Finebaum analyzes where Alabama job stands after Nick Saban's retirement

As Alabama gets set to head into the Kalen DeBoer era now that Nick Saban has retired and is headed off into the sunset, resetting the expectations for the program will be key.

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum is a little worried that Crimson Tide fans aren’t adequately preparing themselves for the likely adjustment period coming as DeBoer takes over.

“It’s certainly, if we’re watching this in the parlance of Wall Street and Jim Cramer‘s sitting here instead of me, he’s worried,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show.

Finebaum, who has discussed the Alabama program for decades on the airwaves, broke down why he thinks the fans are a little underprepared.

“Because I’m already hearing Alabama people say, ‘Yeah, there will be a course correction,'” he said. “You didn’t hear that for the last 17 years. A course correction was losing the national championship game to Clemson or Georgia. It’s not trying to figure out where you are.”

Of course, Kalen DeBoer can make some pretty compelling arguments that he’s just the man for the job at Alabama. After all, he’s the one coming off an appearance in the national championship game, not Saban.

DeBoer’s meteoric rise through the coaching ranks has included wins just about everywhere, at programs big and small. So while he doesn’t necessarily have the kind of tenure and pull that Saban did, he’s no slouch either.

“I think DeBoer was probably as good as you could get,” Finebaum said. “I mean if you and I were naming five names, he would now be on it. He wouldn’t have been on it before last Monday night. But Dan Lanning, (Steve Sarkisian), the usual suspects.”

It’s unclear what the exact pecking order was in the Alabama search, but DeBoer won the gig. He’s the next head coach, and he’ll be entrusted with keeping the Alabama dynasty strong even after Saban’s retirement.

And there is one significant feather in his cap when it comes to selling himself.

“When you introduce a coach and under the chyron, that’s what you put under a person’s name if you’re watching SportsCenter with Matt Barrie, National Coach of the Year, that’s a pretty impressive thing to put on your resume as you’re being introduced at Alabama,” Finebaum said.

So time will tell on Kalen DeBoer. Either way, what unfolds promises to be fascinating.