Paul Finebaum 'not sure' what Kalen DeBoer's done to earn potential contract extension at Alabama

The Michigan Wolverines job opened amid scandal and, almost immediately, Kalen DeBoer heard his name consistently brought up in rumors for it. DeBoer himself has dismissed those rumors, though, and is now reportedly working on a contract extension with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

That contract extension tends to be the standard when a coach has their name come up in rumors, but isn’t leaving. In the case of Kalen DeBoer, though, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum isn’t sure what he’s done to earn the extension.

“No, it’s really not [necessary],” Paul Finebaum said on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “Because I’m not really sure what he’s done to deserve an extension, but do I need to remind you of what we talk about every day? It’s just the way that agents operate and it only seems like the fact that it took four days to get that statement tells you everything you need to know.”

The logic behind Kalen DeBoer and Michigan makes some sense. Like Alabama, it’s one of the sport’s premier jobs. He’s also a Midwestern and if he felt like there were any issues at Alabama, it could have been a way out. However, the extension would kill any concern he’s moving on.

“That statement should have come out pretty quickly if Kalen DeBoer had no interest in going anywhere. I don’t know why it took four days,” Finebaum said. “And the reason I think it took four days is because Jimmy Sexton and his people have been trying to get this extension out of Alabama.”

Kalen DeBoer is a very well respected head coach who has found success at multiple stops before Alabama. Now, he’s in his second season leading the Crimson Tide as the replacement to Nick Saban. While there, he’s gone 19-7 and now has Alabama getting ready for the College Football Playoff.

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact this is a pretty important game for Alabama. I realize they only lost two games in the regular season, and a loss Friday night would be two since the Auburn game. It’s still four losses. In the parlance of Alabama football, it’s disappointing. It hasn’t happened yet. We may be talking on January 19th about Alabama winning the national championship, but it just feels that came rather slow,” Finebaum said. “And if Alabama gives him an extension, my question back to you is, what does it really mean? What do any of these contracts mean in college football right now?”

Alabama is set to take on Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP. That’s a team DeBoer has now lost to twice in his two seasons there. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19th, in Norman.