Paul Finebaum highlights his greatest concerns about Kalen DeBoer at Alabama

Paul Finebaum praised Alabama for their quick turnaround in hiring former Washington leader Kalen DeBoer as the next Crimson Tide leader.

DeBoer will have huge shoes to fill in Nick Saban, but that’s not the only concern Finebaum has regarding the hire. The former Huskies head coach will have much to do as he arrives in Tuscaloosa, as Finebaum explained during McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Monday.  

“I think it’s a transition, and this isn’t a normal transition. This is where every second counts,” Finebaum said. “That’s why I give Greg Byrne a lot of credit, for having a coach in 48 hours. That’s hard to do, especially when you’re going halfway across the country to get someone. No matter how great your planes are, it still takes five and a half hours to get to Seattle. I think the concerns are losing coaches, the ones you want, I should say. I think there’s already been a lot of chatter about Coach Robinson and announcing he’s going to Georgia. Is he going, is he not going? Then making sure that you hold on to your roster, and making sure that you can hold on to everything else that’s involved, because in years past, that wasn’t really a big issue. That was an issue — you were probably more interested in trimming your roster than holding on to it.

“So that’s really the issue, and quite frankly, this man a week ago was in the national championship game. … That’s probably my biggest concern for Kalen DeBoer, being able to find enough hours in the day to deal with the issues. There’s probably multiple issues he’s having to deal with every single moment.”

Regardless, Kalen DeBoer is widely-respected, and will be fascinating to keep an eye on in 2024. Paul Finebaum and many SEC football fans will be waiting to see how he adjusts to the rigors of the conference.

More Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide

Of course, Kalen DeBoer’s resume is impressive. He’s also known as an impressive offensive mind, spending most of his career as an offensive coordinator before becoming a head coach. Now, he’s gearing up to replace Saban — which he noted in his statement.

“I have always had an incredible respect for Alabama football and its commitment to excellence,” DeBoer said. “The tradition-rich history of this program is unmatched across the landscape of college athletics, and I look forward to continuing that moving forward. Following Coach Saban is an honor. He has been the standard for college football, and his success is unprecedented. I would not have left Washington for just any school. The chance to lead the football program at The University of Alabama is the opportunity of a lifetime.

“My family and I feel truly blessed and look forward to becoming a part of the Tuscaloosa community. I want to thank Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, President Stuart R. Bell, Chancellor Finis St. John and The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for their belief in me to lead this program.”

Saban spent 17 years at Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships and winning 201 games during that time. In addition to his trophies, he developed an extensive coaching tree, featuring plenty of big-name coaches such as Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, among many others.

Now, it’s up to Kalen DeBoer to lead the Crimson Tide, and we’ll have to wait and see if he can have as much success with Alabama as he’s had with other programs.