Paul Finebaum gives impressions of Kalen DeBoer after meeting him for first time

If there is somebody involved in SEC media to make a good first impression in front of, it’s Paul Finebaum. The ESPN radio host and personality discusses the conference on a daily basis and is vocal about his opinions about head coaches. And if you tune into his show this summer and fall, arguably will be discussed more than Alabama‘s Kalen DeBoer.

Finebaum has interviewed DeBoer since he took over in Tuscaloosa but always over the phone or on Zoom. The two had not met in person until this past week at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am where a sit-down interview was conducted.

On Monday, Finebaum gave his impressions of DeBoer after being face-to-face. He can understand why DeBoer has had coaching success everywhere he has gone, calling the head coach “relatable” during conversations.

“He’s very personable,” Finebaum said on Monday. “He’s engaging and I think you understand, when you’re in his presence, why he’s been successful. He’s a very good people person. He’s relatable. He may not knock you over with controversial sound bites but that’s just not who he is.”

DeBoer has won games at seemingly every level of college football. Going back to his days at Sioux Falls in NAIA, he won three national championships. Fresno State was his first Division I head coaching job, going 9-3 in his second season after getting started during COVID-19.

Year Two at Washington was even better, going 12-0 in the regular season, winning the Pac-12, and then making the College Football Playoff national championship game. An overall record of 25-3 in Seattle was a huge reason why DeBoer got the Alabama job.

Folks in Tuscaloosa are hoping that kind of success follows him and keeps the standard Nick Saban has built since 2007. After all, Alabama was just one play away from facing Washington and DeBoer in the national championship game in January.

Questions were certainly asked of DeBoer after accepting the job, especially since he has zero experience in the SEC. Some of the doubters have been doubted due to early recruiting wins and snagging some nice pieces out of the NCAA transfer portal.

He now has a thumbs up from Finebaum, at least off the field. Multiple conversations have led to the Voice of the SEC to speak highly of DeBoer publicly.

Getting results on the field will be a different type of challenge and ultimately, the most important one.