A one-score loss to the Georgia Bulldogs hasn’t dented Kalen DeBoer’s standing in Tuscaloosa, at least by Paul Finebaum’s read. The ESPN analyst weighed in on “Get Up” on Oct. 14, saying the Alabama Crimson Tide’s fan base has rallied around its third-year coach after the 20-17 defeat in Week 6. He added that supporters remain fixated on an officiating call they believe decided the game, not on the man running the sideline.
That’s a sharp turn from where things stood months ago. DeBoer, 51, went 9-4 with a 5-3 SEC mark in his debut season, then 11-4 and 7-1 in Year 2 with a first-round College Football Playoff win. Indiana then beat his team in the Rose Bowl, and the offseason brought repeated links to the Michigan opening.
Not every reaction to the Georgia game has been kind. DeBoer screamed “you cost us the game” at sophomore cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. after a late unsportsmanlike conduct flag, then stressed “emotional maturity” in his postgame news conference. One critic was the Carolina Panthers’ vice president of team development, a former Green Beret, who questioned that message in comments to The Athletic’s Rafi Kohan.
Finebaum’s bigger worry is the Tennessee Volunteers. The 2022 team arrived unbeaten and left with a 52-49 defeat. Alabama, 5-1 and 3-1 in the SEC, faces the Volunteers at 3:30 p.m.
Texas A&M visits Tuscaloosa in Week 8.
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