“It feels like the Saban era again”: Paul Finebaum says Kalen DeBoer has revived Alabama’s championship aura

Kalen DeBoer’s No. 6 Alabama secured its fourth straight win over a ranked opponent, beating No. 11 Tennessee 37-20 on Saturday. The early-season frustration from the Crimson Tide’s 31-17 loss to Florida State in Week 1 has completely faded.

Since that setback, Alabama has improved to 6-1 and silenced doubts about DeBoer being an unfit successor to Nick Saban.

On Sunday’s episode of The Matt Barrie Show podcast, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said how smoothly Alabama has transitioned from the Saban era to the DeBoer era.

“It feels a little bit like the Saban era again, even though we know who’s in charge,” Finebaum said. “But for Kalen DeBoer, it’s been a transformational project. And I think Alabama is in the conversation for best team in the country.

“I don’t want to mitigate the name of Nick Saban, but this was the first time I’ve been in Tuscaloosa this year, and I just didn’t hear Nick Saban’s name very often. It was about Kalen DeBoer, it wasn’t about Saban any longer. And I really think that is fascinating.”

NCAA Football: Tennessee at Alabama - Source: Imagn

Finebaum also said that DeBoer seemed at ease before Saturday’s game. The Alabama coach explained to Finebaum that the Crimson Tide's five-game win streak reflects the “dividends” of their Week 1 loss.

“Now it’s as close to 100% buy-in as I’ve seen at any moment during his tenure,” Finebaum said. “So give him credit, because I don’t know many people that could’ve withstood the criticism that he took after that first weekend.”

DeBoer’s squad stands 4-0 in the Southeastern Conference and remains one of just two unbeaten squads in the conference, alongside Texas A&M.

Ex-Alabama QB calls out Kalen DeBoer haters

After beating Tennessee on Saturday, Alabama became the first team in SEC history to win four consecutive games against ranked opponents without a bye week, per ESPN Research. It also extended Kalen DeBoer’s home record to 11-0 since taking over last year and marked his first win over the Volunteers.

During the Alabama-Tennessee broadcast, ESPN’s Sean McDonough said that criticism of DeBoer has “died down” now. Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy also had the same opinion on the discussion.

“I think that is a very silent minority at this point,” McElroy said. “Because he’s doing a fantastic job. He’s really allowed this team to take on a different edge than what we saw.”

Next up, DeBoer’s Crimson Tide will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, in Week 9 for a potential trap game against unranked South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium.