Kalen DeBoer is flipping the script in Tuscaloosa. After a shaky 9-4 debut season that raised doubts thanks to losses against teams like Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, many were led to write him off. But DeBoer didn’t flinch, and now the tide’s finally turning. How? Not a single player entered the transfer portal this spring—a rare feat in today’s college football landscape. And now? His recent recruiting successes have won over Paul Finebaum’s praise, a man who’s hard to please. Finebaum is not just acknowledging DeBoer’s talent—he’s throwing his weight behind Alabama’s new era under him.
Now, Kalen DeBoer never came into Tuscaloosa with a mindset to change things around; he came here to follow in Nick Saban‘s footsteps. “I think embracing what has happened at those places and the experiences I had helped me understand just how, man, there’s only one way to do it, and it’s to embrace the tradition, to embrace the greatness of those that came before you,” DeBoer admitted. A man who took Alabama to 6 championship wins and holds a coaching record of 292-71-1 surely leaves a long-rooted legacy to follow.
And now that mindset is resonating all around in the CFB world, so even Paul Finebaum couldn’t hold his praise for Kalen DeBoer. “One thing about Kalen DeBoer—he is different. He tweaked things, he altered things, but he never let go of the core. And again, I don’t want to go back into ancient history, but a lot of coaches have come into Alabama and have tried to break the mold. But he didn’t. He leaned on Nick Saban when he needed to,” Finebaum said on the WJOX-94.5 YT channel. Sure, resonance with Saban’s success is tough, yet Kalen DeBoer’s 40-9 career record speaks volumes of his excellence.
Despite losing tons of players in the portal after a rough season, Kalen DeBoer stood tall and revamped his roster. He got 21 commits and 13 transfers into his team. But despite those moves, the weight of Nick Saban’s legacy always lingers around him, setting high expectations. Yet Paul Finebaum isn’t buying Saban’s hype. “Saban still walks around and can be seen—not that [it] is helping you get a five-star recruit—but I think a lot of people just forgot that it is Alabama. Alabama is the brand. Alabama is the brand that has been around college football since the Rose Bowl of the 1920s. And again, I would laugh sometimes when I would hear young people say, ‘Well, it’s only Nick Saban’. That’s not true,” Finebaum said.
NCAA, College League, USA Football: Mercer at Alabama Nov 16, 2024 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer gestures during a timeout in the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Tuscaloosa Bryant-Denny Stadium Alabama USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xWillxMcLellandx 20241116_map_wm6_237
There’s no denying Nick Saban left an unmatched legacy. His disciplined and precise coaching style fosters grit, resilience, and determination in his players. In 27 seasons as a college head coach, he boasts a remarkable 194-27 (.878) record at Alabama alone. His leadership there yielded eight SEC Championships, adding to his overall ten SEC titles—two with LSU in 2001 and 2003. Seven national championships, including one with LSU in 2003, solidify his place among college football’s GOAT.
But it’s not that nobody knew Alabama before him. And that’s what Paul Finebaum is stressing. “I’m not taking anything away from Saban—you don’t need to have this conversation this early in the morning—but when a recruit lands in Tuscaloosa or drives through that city and sees the sights that everybody has seen now throughout the course of history, it resonates,” Finebaum said. “And some places, it just doesn’t. It’s all about what happened recently. They just won a national championship. They’ve just been on a roll. Alabama has always been there. And the signs right now are—it looks like it’s always going to be.”
That’s exactly the reason why players are still coming to Alabama, trusting Kalen DeBoer, not because of Nick Saban’s success, but because of Bama’s history.
Kalen DeBoer’s recruiting success makes buzz
Alabama’s recruiting is on fire, and Paul Finebaum credits the man behind the surge and that’s none other than Kalen DeBoer. Over half of their 2026 class committed in June, most within the last two weeks. This filled their roster with 15 high-end prospects. And Finebaum attributes this surge to DeBoer’s increasing influence and confidence within the program. “I think, overall, Kalen DeBoer, with the addition of Ryan Grubb and finally the staff a little bit more to his liking, has brought continuity and that’s evidenced by him retaining his players in the spring, which I think is a very big deal for that purpose, and I think it’s oozing over to recruiting,” Finebaum said.
With increasing commitments, Finebaum drew a parallel between Kalen DeBoer’s recent success and Alabama’s former legendary coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide are back to their vintage form, with nine recruits joining in June, eight of whom arrived since mid-month. “Quite frankly, this is one of the great recruiting runs we’ve seen in some years. It almost feels like Nick Saban is running the ship again when it comes to recruiting because this is vintage Alabama recruiting,” said Finebaum.
Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 7 nationally by On3. This impressive group boasts recent commitments from key players like offensive lineman Samuelu Utu, quarterback Jett Thomalla, and defensive lineman JJ Finch, along with running backs Javari Barnett and Ezavier Crowell, linebackers Zay Hall and Xavier Griffin, safety Rihyael Kelley, and tight end Mack Sutter. With top recruits such as five-star prospects Griffin and Crowell, plus several four-star players, this surge represents more than just momentum; it’s a powerful statement.
Now, let’s wait and see how things turn around for Kalen DeBoer this season.
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