Paul Finebaum Shuts Down Hot Seat Rumors Surrounding Prominent College Football Coach

Paul Finebaum closes the hot seat rumors surrounding a university football coach who was originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The 2024 university football season has marked significant changes to Alabama Crimson Tide, because legendary head coach Nick Saban was no longer on the first time in 17 seasons.

Kalen Deboer replaced Saban after announcing his retirement after the 2023 season. Deboer had just led the Washington Huskies to the National Championship match, although they lost to the Michigan Wolverines.

Deboer’s inaugural season did not go well, while Alabama finished with a record of 9-4, marking the worst performance since the first year of Saban in 2007. Three of these defeats were against teams that ended the season with five or more defeats.

During “The Paul Finebaum Show”, the dry network analyst examined if another season of nine winnings would place on the hot seat. Finebaum expressed that he did not believe that this is likely.

“All I know at the moment is that Kalen Deboer has a lot of support in Alabama,” said Finebaum. “I think it’s important. This is one thing if you start the season on a fragile field. He doesn’t. His recruitment has been exceptional. Everyone seems to be aligned with him.”

Paul Finebaum thinks that Alabama will return to university football playoffs

Finebaum is optimistic about the crimson tide this season. He thinks that Alabama will reach the playoffs of university football this year.

“I think that if the Alabama goes to the playoffs this year, and I think they will do it, the reason why they did not go last year was Grubb’s decision to take the NFL work, instead of staying in Tuscaloosa,” said Finebaum previously. “I think it’s so important.”

Ryan Grubb first decided to follow Deboer in Alabama, but then changed his mind and accepted the position of the attacking coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks instead. Consequently, Nick Sheridan was appointed attacking coordinator of Alabama.

In February, Grubb joined Deboer in Alabama and was appointed offensive coordinator. Finebaum thinks that Grubb will be crucial for the return of the Crimson Tide to the playoffs.

The ESPN football power index gives reasons for optimism

The ESPN football index (FPI) assesses the strength of the team and seeks to provide the most precise prediction of the performance of a team throughout the season. According to the FPI, Alabama is currently classified as team n ° 3 of the country, dragging only the Texas Longhorns and the Bulldogs of Georgia.

The FPI provides that Alabama will conclude the season with a 10-2 file and awards a probability of 17.2% that the tide won the dry. In addition, the FPI indicates that the Crimson Tide has a 66.2% chance of making a return to the playoffs for the first time under the coach Deboer. In addition, Alabama has 10.8% chance of winning the national championship, which puts them in equality with the reigning champion Ohio State Buckeyes for the third best odds in the country.

The QB battle could determine the Alabama season

Alabama faces a quarter-back battle for this offseason. Jalen Milroe was selected in the third round of the NFL 2025 draft by the Seahawks and should be replaced by Ty Simpson.

Simpson is competing for the starting station against Austin Mack, which followed Washington Huskies, and the five -star recruit Keelon Russell, which is part of the 2025 recruitment class.

Although Simpson is formerly a five -star hope, he only tried 50 Alabama passes, totaling 381 yards. Mack launched only three passes and Russell did not launch it. Instead of a traditional spring scrum, Tide Crimson chose to hold a training session, which meant that fans did not have the opportunity to see three -quarters compete in a game type.

The Crimson Tide will start the season at the Doak S. Campbell stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, against the Florida State Seminoles at 3.30 p.m. on August 30.

Related: Paul Finebaum reveals what could cost Alabama a national championship

This story was initially reported by Athlon Sports on August 8, 2025, where it appeared for the first time.