The Alabama Crimson Tide are grappling with their second loss of the season after a disappointing 24-17 defeat against Tennessee on Saturday.
Despite leading at halftime, Alabama faltered in the second half, unable to find answers on either side of the ball.
This marks Alabama’s second loss in its last three games, putting their hopes of making the College Football Playoff in serious jeopardy.
With the Tide now needing to win the remainder of its games to feel good about a shot at the playoffs, questions are being raised about the leadership of first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, who has covered Alabama football for decades, believes that it’s fair to speculate on DeBoer’s job security given the recent string of poor performances.
Speaking on Get Up, Finebaum expressed surprise at how quickly things have gone south for Alabama: “The fact that you could ask that question legitimately and have people go, ‘Okay, that makes sense.’ I am gobsmacked by that,” he said.
“It’s a real question because of how far this program has fallen in three weeks,” Finebaum added. “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.”
Despite the mounting criticism, it’s highly unlikely that Alabama would part ways with DeBoer after just one season.
It’s not that the $70 million buyout would totally prevent the powers that be from doing so but rather the fact that DeBoer has proven to be an elite college football coach.
Having said that, he’s going to have to toughen up as a coach and start holding his players accountable.
There’s a feeling around Tuscaloosa that in this day and age of NIL and the transfer portal that DeBoer is being way too careful to not upset any of his players out of fear of losing them.
The path ahead doesn’t get much easier for DeBoer and the Tide.
Come Saturday, they’ll welcome in a dangerous and hungry Missouri Tigers team. While Alabama should find a way to come out on top, it’s clear that nothing will be coming easy for the Tide this season.
What are your thoughts on Finebaum’s comments? … Do you think DeBoer is actually on the hot seat???
