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With the SEC’s annual media day circus currently taking place in Tampa, “Talking Season” is officially back and in full swing — as is ESPN’s “Mouth of the South.” In fact, Paul Finebaum was already in midseason form during a Tuesday morning appearance on ESPN’s First Take from SEC Media Days.
During a segment about whether Alabama‘s Kalen DeBoer or LSU‘s Lane Kiffin faces the most pressure to make a deep College Football Playoff run in 2026, Finebaum didn’t miss a beat.
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“It is Kalen DeBoer, and the reason is Lane Kiffin just got there (to Baton Rouge), and he also left behind a team at Ole Miss that came within one play of playing for the national championship (last season), so he deserves some credit,” Finebaum began. “And I realize LSU fans will be miserable if they don’t make the Playoffs or make a serious run. But (Kiffin) also has $95 million in the bank, he’s an incredible coach, he aces the portal every single year, and everyone is aligned. So, an off season is not going to wreck him. But a bad season (in 2026) very well could wreck Kalen DeBoer.
“The last time we saw Kalen DeBoer on a football field, he had his lunch money stolen by (Indiana‘s) Curt Cignetti. It was one of the most – forget one of the most, it was the most embarrassing loss in Alabama history,” Finebaum added, referring to the Hoosiers’ 38-3 win in last year’s CFP quarterfinals. “He lost by 35 points at the Rose Bowl, his team waved the white flag, and that memory has not gone away. And if he doesn’t get back (to the Playoffs), his fanbase will be angry.
“Yes, (DeBoer’s) $70 million (buyout) is a lot of money to pay a coach, but $76 million was a lot to pay a coach a couple of years ago, and guess what? Texas A&M got rid of Jimbo Fisher and their program is a lot better as a result.”
DeBoer agreed to a seven-year contract extension this offseason that will make him one of the Top 5 highest-paid head coaches in college football with an annual salary of $12.5 million and run through 2033. It includes a $10 million buyout should DeBoer leave for another program before Jan. 31, 2027.
The extension also includes an agreement to pay 90% of his remaining salary if DeBoer is fired without cause, meaning Alabama would owe him approximately $67.5 million if the program opts to move on after the upcoming season. It’s a hefty price to pay to get rid of a coach, albeit not unprecedented.
As Finebaum pointed out, Fisher received a record $77.5 million buyout after Texas A&M fired him in mid-November 2023 — just two years removed from inking a four-year, $36 million extension to the record 10-year, $75 million deal he signed in 2017.
DeBoer is 20-8 overall and 12-4 in SEC play through his first two seasons at Alabama, both ending in four-loss campaigns. Last season, DeBoer’s Crimson Tide bounced back from a disappointing season-opening loss at unranked Florida State to make the Playoffs, including notching a 34-24 first-round road win over SEC rival Oklahoma. But, as Finebaum made abundantly clear, the way Alabama ended last season has left a sour taste in the mouths of the Crimson Tide fanbase.
