Paul Finebaum reveals the ceiling for Alabama in second year under Kalen DeBoer

Paul Finebaum is expecting more out of Alabama and Kalen DeBoer in his second season on the job. The Crimson Tide showed some serious promise in 2024, but some demoralizing losses put an end to their College Football Playoff dreams.

While examining their season outlook for 2025, the goal is simple in Tuscaloosa — win the national title. However, Finebaum wants to see Alabama avoid the letdowns this coming season, after falling to some teams the SEC Network analyst believes the Crimson Tide should’ve dismantled last year.

“I think, at Alabama, the ceiling is the national championship. Breaking news, I hope nobody had to pull over on the interstate when I said that,” Finebaum stated, via McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “But I think, the most important goal should shift to eliminating the clunkers, like last year. Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were inexcusable. There’s no way to escape that.”

Of course, the bar is set higher than anywhere else in the country in Tuscaloosa. If Alabama avoided the aforementioned shocking losses in 2024, they would’ve had a chance at playing for one last season. The goal this season will certainly be making the CFP and then some, so those hiccups will have to be eliminated in 2025.

All told, Alabama’s next quarterback will determine a ton about their season in 2025. At the moment, it’s looking like a race between Ty Simpson, Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.

With that in mind, Finebaum joined SportsCenter earlier this month to shed some light on the competition. He believes it’s essential for the Crimson Tide to find their quarterback and quick, as there’s a ton riding on this coming season for the program.

“I think the most interesting one is in Tuscaloosa,” Finebaum said, evaluation quarterback competitions around the nation on Saturday. “Alabama is trying to figure out who takes Jalen Milroe’s place. You know the history on Alabama quarterbacks in recent years. They’ve had [Tua] Tagovailoa. They’ve had Mac Jones. They’ve had Bryce Young. Last year they had Milroe. They’ve all been candidates for the Heisman. Right now, they don’t know. 

“Ty Simpson has been around a couple of years. Austin Mack came over from Washington with the head coach Kalen DeBoer. The one everybody is excited about is Keelon Russell. He’s a brand new freshman. He’s a five-star. But the problem is we don’t know, and that’s not a good sign for Alabama. 

“They had a tough season last year. They missed the Playoff. At Alabama, that’s time to call for the coach’s head, even though it was only his first year, and he beat the No. 1 team in the country at the time in Georgia. So, there’s a lot of angst in Tuscaloosa right now.”

Time will tell which quarterback can take over from Jalen Milroe. Regardless, Paul Finebaum recognizes expectations are high in Tuscaloosa, but that’s the status-quo for the Crimson Tide, for sure.