Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer is improving the program. The problem is that improvement alone does not satisfy Alabama.
That is the reality DeBoer faces entering the 2026 college football season. At most schools, consecutive improvement and playoff appearances would create stability and patience. In Tuscaloosa, it simply raises expectations even higher.
Alabama’s Standard Is Different
Through two seasons, DeBoer has largely done what Alabama hoped.
The Crimson Tide improved from nine wins in its first season to 11 wins and a return to the College Football Playoff in Year 2.
For nearly every other program in the country, that trajectory would be viewed as confirmation that the transition is working. But Alabama is not measured against normal standards.
The program is still chasing the benchmark established by Nick Saban, who won six national championships in 17 seasons and built arguably the greatest dynasty in modern college football history.
That legacy created enormous expectations for whoever replaced him.
Paul Finebaum Warns Buyout Means Nothing
Recently, DeBoer agreed to a new seven-year contract extension worth $87.5 million. If Alabama fires him without cause, the school would owe roughly 90% of the remaining compensation on the deal.
That would create a staggering buyout figure.
However, during “The Paul Finebaum Show,” the ESPN analyst made it clear that massive contracts no longer guarantee job security in modern college football.
“We are talking about $70 million….” Finebaum said. “Jimbo Fisher taught us one thing. You can never say a coach cannot lose his job.”
That statement perfectly captures where college football currently sits.
The Jimbo Fisher Effect Changed Everything
Before Jimbo Fisher was fired by Texas A&M Aggies with a buyout reportedly exceeding $75 million, many believed certain contracts were simply too expensive to escape. That idea no longer exists.
Programs with elite resources now view coaching changes differently. Administrators understand that waiting too long can create far bigger financial problems than paying a buyout.
Falling behind competitively impacts recruiting, NIL momentum, ticket sales and donor confidence. In many ways, patience has become more expensive than change.
Why Pressure Continues Building
The reality is DeBoer inherited one of the most difficult jobs in sports.
Following Saban was never going to be fair. Every loss gets magnified. Every season gets compared to championship runs. Even playoff appearances feel incomplete if Alabama is not competing for national titles.
That pressure is only intensified by the SEC landscape. Programs like the LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns are aggressively spending and building championship-caliber rosters.
Alabama cannot afford extended regression by its standards. That does not mean DeBoer is currently in danger. In fact, the trajectory still points upward. But Finebaum’s larger point remains accurate.
In today’s college football world, no buyout is truly large enough to eliminate pressure.
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