Paul Finebaum reacts to monumental win over Georgia for Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

After getting upset by Florida State in Week 1, the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Kalen DeBoer have been trying to reestablish themselves as legitimate contenders. They were able to do that and more last Saturday, knocking off the previously unbeaten Georgia Bulldogs.

Georgia is a team that Alabama has found plenty of success with in recent seasons. However, most of that came under Nick Saban. Now, with the monumental win, Kalen DeBoer has proven he can find that success too, having earned a pair of wins over the Bulldogs.

Paul Finebaum appeared on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning in the week following the win. There, he praised DeBoer and Alabama for the win.

“It was a monumental victory for the school and for Kalen DeBoer,” Paul Finebaum said. “And being in Athens for two days and seeing all the signs about Nick Saban and the Georgia record is more about Nick Saban than it is Kalen DeBoer. All those signs and all those sayings go into the trash heap Monday morning because the one stat is going to loom largest out of this weekend is Kalen DeBoer is 2-0 against Kirby Smart.”

Kalen DeBoer often faces comparisons to Nick Saban. That’s no surprise, but after going 9-4 last season and opening 2025 with another loss, there was a lot of criticism and hot seat talk on his shoulders. That goes away by beating Georgia.

“That is a remarkable record for someone who has taken as many hits as Kalen DeBoer,” Finebaum said. “And as recently as a month ago right here by me and many other people. So, I think that is such a monster story.”

One key in all of this has been the rise of quarterback Ty Simpson. He’s now completing 69.3 percent of passes for 1,138 yards and 11 touchdowns without an interception. In the process, he’s established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the sport.

“The other story is Ty Simpson, who — I don’t grade film like you guys,” Finebaum said. “But from the naked eye, he looked outstanding. He was easily the best quarterback in the game. Right now, I think he’s one of the best quarterback in the country and in late September talking about the Heisman seems somewhat ridiculous, but if you are talking about the Heisman and not talking about Ty Simpson, then you are equally clueless.”

The win said a lot about Alabama. However, Finebaum also thinks this said something about Georgia. The Bulldogs are also a flawed team, as is the case for multiple teams. That’s now been fully exposed.

“So, it was important a win about Alabama, as it was telling everyone who Georgia is,” Finebaum said. “Georgia is somewhat what we thought they were. They got exposed against Tennessee and somehow stole the win. As a result, we kind of looked past it. Something tells me in Athens Kirby Smart is not that surprised.”

Now, Kalen DeBoer and Alabama need to seize the opportunity and avoid another frustrating loss that could undo some of this goodwill. That means avoiding an upset on Saturday when the Crimson Tide hosts Vanderbilt.