Paul Finebaum identifies the biggest questions facing Kalen DeBoer in upcoming offseason

The Alabama Crimson Tide were stunned over the weekend by Oklahoma, losing their third game in the team’s first season under head coach Kalen DeBoer. In the process, it put Alabama’s College Football Playoff chances in major jeopardy.

In the wake of that loss, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum appeared on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. There, he broke down what he sees as the biggest questions facing DeBoer in the upcoming offseason.

“What this staff has to do is fit its needs,” Paul Finebaum said. “They just can’t go and cherry-pick. It’s complex enough, guys as you well know, to just go out and hire a bunch of free agents and turn them into a team. I know that may be the final epitaph of what Lane Kiffin did, but I think Kalen DeBoer has to decide who he wants to be his quarterback. Is it currently on the roster or is it coming in or does he want to go out and fill in the gaps? I think that’s where it really begins.”

Alabama has been led by Jalen Milroe at quarterback for the past two seasons. He’s someone who Kalen DeBoer inherited from the previous coaching staff and who has a skillset that has the potential to be very exciting, though he struggled in the recent loss to Oklahoma. For the season, he has completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,396 yards and 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He’s also rushed for 615 yards and another 17 touchdowns. Behind him are quarterbacks like Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Dylan Lonergan.

“The offensive line came back from the dead and then literally went back to sleep in the most important moment. So, I think those are where I would start,” Finebaum said. “But he’s well ahead of me on that, I hope.”

Prior to his time at Alabama, Kalen DeBoer had time as a head coach at Washington, Fresno State, and the NAIA level. He did not have SEC experience, making this his first season in the conference as a coach in any position. Still, at every stop, he’s had success and the last time he lost three regular season games was in 2021 at Fresno State. That was a 10-win season for the Bulldogs.

Alabama, for its part, last lost three games in a regular season in 2010. That was early in the tenure of Nick Saban, a year after winning his first national championship with the team. They’d win the next two national championships in a row.