Paul Finebaum outlines what would be a successful season for Kalen DeBoer

Alabama isn’t expecting some massive drop off from the standard Nick Saban set during his 17 seasons as head coach. Under Kalen DeBoer — how should fans gauge his success in year one?

According to Paul Finebaum and Matt Barrie, however, no matter what DeBoer does in his first year will take him out from under the shadow of Saban — especially now that he is staying in Tuscaloosa with his own office inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“If he if he gets to the playoffs next year, that’s good but not good enough,” Finebaum told Matt Barrie on his ESPN show. “He’s going to be living in a long shadow. And a lot of people have debated why Nick Saban was at the press conference on Saturday, and I’m told by people … that he’s involved because he has to be involved.

“There are so many players that he has agreed with to stay that they need Saban on board right now to complete the deals.”

Barrie agreed with Finebaum, noting that Saban is seemingly becoming a de facto president and CEO of the Crimson Tide program with this new, unofficial role.

“I don’t know how well that’s ultimately going to go with how Saban is wired relative to Kalen DeBoer,” Barrie responded to Finebaum. “Kind of saying, ‘Hey, man, like I’ve got to be in your shadow anyway. You got a statue with pies out in front of it, like, I respect you.’ But I mean, [Steve] Spurrier has got an office at The Swamp. The stories Dan Mullen tells me about him are hilarious, but at the end of the day, DeBoer has to build this thing through his eyes after Saban helps secure some recruits, and some portal.”

Of course, Saban had been the head coach at Alabama since 2007, leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships during that time. Most recently, he led his team to a 12-2 record. As SEC Champions, the Crimson Tide fell to eventual national champion Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinal. On top of that, his record of 201-28 since taking over the program in 2007 is the best of any coach during that time. It will certainly be hard — if not impossible — to top for DeBoer.

The new Alabama headman is doing exactly what Barrie said and is beginning to mold the Crimson Tide in his vision. Not only is he expected to hire several of his former staffers from Washington, DeBoer is also retaining some Saban’s staff as well in an attempt to mix both staffs ahead of his first season.

Regardless, the Kalen DeBoer era will kick off in Tuscaloosa on Aug. 31, 2024, against Western Kentucky inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.