Kalen DeBoer can say the timing was a coincidence, but Paul Finebaum isn’t buying it. The Alabama head coach gained interest from Michigan in December, but then he signed a 7-year, $87.5 deal with the Crimson Tide this April. He continued to explain that the extension had everything to do with the program’s continued growth, but the ESPN analyst couldn’t help but laugh the argument off. 

“DeBoer is trying to convince us he got that extension based on what he has done on the field,” he said on The Paul Finebaum Show tonight. “We all know what he’s done. He’s lost four games in 2024 and four games in 2025. Losing eight games in two years at Alabama doesn’t normally equate to a massive contract extension and putting $70 million on the back end. So, why is DeBoer trying to sell us on this?

“Everyone understands leverage. It’s no big deal, Coach DeBoer, that you had another offer and your boss, most would say wisely, decided to lock you down so he didn’t have to go out looking for another, another coach.”

Back in April, the University of Alabama System’s Compensation Committee approved a new deal that extended his contract by two years through January 2033 and bumped his annual salary to $12.5 million. The raise added about $2 million per year and reinforced the program’s commitment to the coach entering Year 3 of the post-Nick Saban era. 

Paul Finebaum’s debate isn’t about whether the Tide believes in Kalen DeBoer but why the extension happened when it did. Because the curious thing is, the extension talks already began in December amid Michigan and Penn State rumors. This week, though, Kalen DeBoer pushed back against the popular narrative.

“I think people equate the noise about other opportunities or whatever it might be with the extension or more years,” he told WVUA 23 Sports Director Gary Harris. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think our success and what we’re doing and what we’re continuing to grow and how we’re continuing to grow.

“Having myself and the continuity of the rest of my staff helps with the continuity of our players, and that’s how you continue to get to where you want to be with the success not just on the field but off the field, as well.”

Kalen DeBoer pointed toward continuity, growth, and the vision he and AD Greg Byrne share for the program. Byrne himself agreed as much.

“We are pleased to extend Coach DeBoer and are proud to have him leading the Crimson Tide football program,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in a statement in April. “He is an excellent coach and has done a commendable job developing our student-athletes.”

But Paul Finebaum argues Alabama’s own people already told a different story.

The veteran host reminded viewers that Nick Saban appeared on his show after the extension was announced and offered what many interpreted as the real explanation. Now, he’s questioning why Kalen DeBoer is pretending otherwise. 

So what is it that Nick Saban said that Paul Finebaum is leaning so much on?

Nick Saban’s explanation on Kalen DeBoer’s extension 

When Nick Saban joined Paul Finebaum on his show on April 29, he didn’t leave much room for interpretation when discussing Kalen DeBoer’s extension.

“I think Kalen has done a really good job,” he said. “Obviously other people recognize that he had an opportunity to go to Michigan and if Alabama wanted to keep him, they had to step up and do it. It was the right thing because we would’ve lost our roster if he would’ve left.”

Nick Saban wasn’t criticizing Kalen DeBoer. He repeatedly praised the job his successor has done during one of the toughest transitions in college football. But he also acknowledged the reality that Alabama couldn’t risk uncertainty. Even Greg Byrne made a similar comment. 

“You deal with what you can control at that time,” he said. “We knew where things were in the marketplace. We knew our belief in Coach DeBoer. Those were the things we were focused on and trying to make sure we kept him as our coach for many years to come.”

That’s why Paul Finebaum keeps returning to the same point. Alabama didn’t hand Kalen DeBoer a richer, longer contract solely because of a 20-8 record, an SEC Championship Game appearance, and a playoff berth. While those accomplishments helped, the timing suggests the program was also protecting itself against the possibility of losing its coach and players along with him.