Paul Finebaum: Kalen DeBoer hot seat speculation legitimate given 'how far this program has fallen'

The Alabama Crimson Tide have dropped two of their last three games. With that, the pressure on first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer is beginning to mount and there is already some hot seat speculation.

While making an appearance on Get Up, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum shared some thoughts on the situation at Alabama. In particular, he shared that he believes that the hot seat speculation is fair given how far the program has fallen this season.

“No, but the fact that you could ask that question legitimately and have people go, ‘Okay, that makes sense.’ I am gobsmacked by that, but it’s a real question because of how far this program has fallen in three weeks. He has a $70 million buyout. He’s not even barely halfway through his first season. He’s still respected by a lot of people, but he’s done a lousy job.”

Kalen DeBoer is currently replacing the legendary Nick Saban, who won six national championships at Alabama. During his 17 seasons with the program, Saban only lost two or more games, including in postseason play, nine times. He only lost two or more games in the regular season four times. The last time his Alabama teams lost two out of three games in the regular season was in 2022. So, while this type of stretch was uncommon under Saban, it was not unheard of either.

“The thing that’s getting people more than that, is the fact this team is so undisciplined and Kalen DeBoer is looking on the sidelines like he doesn’t have a clue,” Finebaum concluded.

The penalties have become a major issue for Alabama under DeBoer. In the loss to Tennessee, the Crimson Tide had 15 penalties for 115 yards. On the season as a whole, Alabama is 128th in the country in penalties, getting called for 8.9 penalties and giving up 78.3 penalty yards per game. The only SEC team struggling worse in regards to penalties is Ole Miss.

Kalen DeBoer is going to look to quickly turn things around with Missouri coming to Tuscaloosa next week.