You know Kalen DeBoer must be doing something right if even Paul Finebaum is complimentary of Alabama's second-year head coach. After being overly critical of DeBoer during a disappointing debut season, Finebaum has been beating the drum for the Crimson Tide over the last few months.
Finebaum believes Alabama is a legitimate National Championship contender, with the naming of Ty Simpson as the team's starting quarterback with 19 days to go before the season opener being the latest sign that the program is in good shape.
Finebaum was on the Mac and Cube show on Tuesday, and he discussed how high he is on Alabama for this upcoming season. In typical Finebaum fashion, he did so while also ruffling the feathers of a couple of other fanbases, this time those of Georgia and Ohio State.
“I have no trouble saying it, I think Alabama is a legitimate National Championship contender," Finebaum said when asked by Cole Cubelic for his thoughts on the Crimson Tide. "I think they were way too low yesterday. I don’t know if we’ve ever said that in modern times, but to me, they are a top two, top three, top four team. I’d put them in there over Ohio State and a couple other schools as well. Maybe even Georgia.”
Finebaum is referencing the AP Poll, which debuted its preseason Top 25 on Monday. Alabama was ranked 8th, its lowest preseason ranking since 2008, as voters take more of a wait-and-see approach on DeBoer's second Alabama team. It's hard to blame poll voters after Alabama finished a disappointing 17th in the final AP Poll of the 2024 season, but this team is also loaded and poised for a major bounceback.
Other fanbases won't like it, but Paul Finebaum is correct in his assessment of Alabama
I haven't agreed with Finebaum often over the years, but I think his assessment of Alabama for this season is correct. Alabama is stability at QB away from being one of the two or three best teams in the country this season, which puts them right in the thick of the National Championship race. Simpson being named the starter with time to spare indicates a high confidence in him by the coaching staff.
Alabama is loaded everywhere else. They have good running backs, elite wide receivers, what should be a really strong offensive line, and they return a Top 10 defense that is much deeper and more experienced than it was a season ago.
It was a tremendous offseason for DeBoer, much better than most Alabama fans figured after such a disappointing season. Finebaum took notice:
"It started with nobody leaving (in the spring portal), it continues with Ty Simpson. They have plugged so many holes. The recruiting has been outstanding. The coaching staff is good for the first time since Kalen DeBoer got there.”
The addition of Ryan Grubb as the team's offensive coordinator cannot be undersold. Grubb was DeBoer's top lieutenant for many years and has widely been considered one of the best play-callers in college football.
The biggest question for DeBoer was his ability to recruit in the south, a question he has answered emphatically for two consecutive recruiting cycles.
Now, all that's left for DeBoer is the results on the field. If those don't come, then nothing that happened this offseason is of any consequence.