Paul Finebaum raves over Alabama's 'seamless' transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer after win vs. Georgia

Alabama staked itself to a 28-point lead in a top-five showdown with Georgia over the weekend, thanks to a blistering start from quarterback Jalen Milroe. Then the Tide turned.

Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide allowed Kirby Smart’s Georgia back into the game, as an Alabama field goal and safety were all what stood in the way of five Bulldogs touchdowns, including four in the second half. Making the quarterback duel mostly a tale of two halves, Carson Beck bounced back and threw one final haymaker, a 67-yard touchdown pass to wideout Dillon Bell.

The dance wasn’t over.

A downfield catch, a balletic twirl and a video-game-like spin from 17-year-old phenom Ryan Williams sealed the deal for Alabama. It was no waltz, but DeBoer emerged victorious, 41-34.

In the process, DeBoer improved to 6-0 against Smart, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. DeBoer also picked up where his predecessor, seven-time national champion Nick Saban, left off, continuing the Crimson Tide’s recent dominance over Georgia.

Paul Finebaum joined his ESPN colleagues Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on “McElroy & Cubelic In The Morning” Monday. Finebaum took the temperature of the DeBoer transition after a momentous weekend in Tuscaloosa.

“I think [the college football world] viewed him as somebody who was superb at Washington. But now you add a win over Kirby Smart. And I think what’s really interesting is you add that win over Kirby Smart to two over Sarksian, and I think it’s three over Dan Lanning — it’s hard to compile a record like that.

“We’re speaking of almost Saban-like edges against big-time opponents. So, I mean, I don’t want to overshoot it. I was joking with somebody yesterday, saying, ‘Hey, this looks even better than Saban.’ Yeah, you say that jokingly, but in some ways they’re a looser team and they are playing so well. So I mean, I went from thinking Alabama was a playoff team to now Alabama is in incredibly strong shape.”

Finebaum added: “It’s ridiculous to get hung up on the on the national championship right now, because nobody knows how this playoff is going to work, but clearly Alabama could not be in better shape. But, I mean, I’ve watched every transition from Paul [‘Bear’] Bryant and this one has been seamless.”

Alabama is off to a 4-0 start and is now the top-ranked team in the country. The last two weeks, DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have thumped Wisconsin in Madison and held off Georgia at home.

Nick Saban: Kalen DeBoer ‘one of the few guys that could have done this as seamlessly as it’s been’

When Saban joined “The Pat McAfee Show” last Friday in the lead-up to Georgia-Alabama, he emphasized how the transition of power between him and DeBoer wasn’t awkward “at all.”

“He’s done a fabulous job, in my opinion, of transitioning, because this is probably the one of the most difficult things, too,” Saban said.

“If you take over an unsuccessful program, everybody welcomes the change, everybody welcomes the new hope that is created by having a new coach. But when you take over a successful program, you know, how are people going to respond to you? And how are you going to be accepted? And how are the changes you make going to be accepted?”

Saban continued: “But he’s showing no ego in taking over. He’s and I have a really good relationship, and the changes that he’s made still put his sort of stamp on things. So I’ve been really impressed with him. I think maybe he’s one of the few guys that could have done this as seamlessly as it’s been for for him and the players.”

DeBoer arrived at Alabama after leading Washington to a Pac-12 title and a national title game appearance in 2023. Before that, DeBoer spent two seasons at Fresno State, the second of which saw him guide the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the Mountain West. And before that, DeBoer piloted Sioux Falls to a trio of NAIA championships.

DeBoer has hit the ground running at Alabama this season and now has a 108-12 career record as a head coach. The Crimson Tide, who brought back only 54% of their 2023 production according to ESPN, are still undefeated.