Paul Finebaum’s SEC Meltdown Is Getting Louder

Paul Finebaum is once again riding into SEC chaos with a flaming take in each hand. After Alabama’s sloppy showing in Week One, the longtime ESPN personality has shifted from preseason hype to full-blown panic, calling for Nick Saban to unretire and replace Kalen DeBoer immediately.

“Bring him back, get him off GameDay, put him out there today,” Finebaum said on ESPN’s Get Up. “Don’t waste a moment. It was that bad. This team is soft, they’re undisciplined.” He then criticized Alabama’s offensive line and coaching decisions, specifically highlighting that prized tackle Kadyn Proctor got pushed around, and that five-star quarterback Julian Sayin left for Ohio State after DeBoer reportedly mispronounced his name. Finebaum also referenced the loss of Caleb Downs and pointed to Ohio State’s rise as further proof that Alabama is in trouble.

The kicker? Finebaum suggested that Saban is being wasted on TV, saying, “Nick Saban is wasting his time on GameDay, with all due respect to the network. Three and a half million people are watching. But please, bosses down the street, let him go, let him out of the contract. Let him be there Saturday at Nick Saban Field.”

If that sounds over the top, it is. But it is also classic Finebaum. Over the past two weeks, he has predicted Texas would dominate Ohio State (they didn’t), hyped Arch Manning as the next Tebow (he stunk), and now wants to undo Alabama’s entire coaching transition after one loss. Somehow, the SEC’s loudest voice keeps doubling down, taking hit after hit, yet still refuses to admit the sport has changed.

From the Big 12 point of view, this all feels painfully familiar. The SEC struggles, and suddenly the narrative shifts to coaching errors or bad luck. It is never that another team just outplayed them. Finebaum might be desperate for a reset in Tuscaloosa, but the rest of the country is watching his meltdown unfold one loss at a time.