Paul Finebaum says Alabama transition is now about preserving what Nick Saban built
Paul Finebaum has seen a slew of departures by players and coaches since Nick Saban’s retirement, and now the ESPN commentator has weighed in on the state of the program.
“Now it’s really trying to preserve what he has built,” Finebaum said on “The Matt Barrie Show.”
Finebaum added that the callers to his afternoon show are still processing Saban’s departure, and while Kalen DeBoer has brought in notable assistants, Alabama’s still losing key players. Finebaum noted that Caleb Downs is probably the most valuable player on Alabama’s team, and is one of those headed to the transfer portal. Downs’ departure is a big blow, Finebaum said, and he noted that Georgia is the likely landing spot for Downs.
Barrie noted that college football is at an inflection point, and after a couple cycles of the portal and NIL, the sport is a “young man’s game.”
“We might see other legends step away, we’ve seen it in college hoops, and now we’re starting to see it in college football,” Barrie said.
Finebaum noted that in college football, there aren’t many active coaches in Saban’s age range to make it a big wave of departures.
“His last 4 years at Alabama, he finished 1st, 2nd, 5th and 5th,” Finebaum said. “That’s hardly a guy who fell apart. But by his standards it wasn’t good enough and I think he decided it was time to go on.”