There are a lot of powers at play at Alabama Crimson Tide regarding head coach Kalen DeBoer. Fans around the country set the expectations very high in his first season at Alabama. Bama’s instruction giver has proven, statistically, that he is a winning coach wherever he goes. But he is not Nick Saban, nor does he have nearly the accolades. The Vols fans breaking the goalposts is not much of a talking point, than the 24-17 loss of the Tides.

The whispers around Tuscaloosa have grown louder with each passing week, and Paul Finebaum’s latest comments on The Audible with Stew & Bruce podcast threw gasoline on the fire. With Kalen DeBoer and crew dropping two of their three games, it puts Saban’s ‘Darth Vader’ in the hot seat speculation.

Although, as per the legendary SEC voice, he believes that DeBoer’s $70 million buyout is saving his job, he also indicated more. Finebaum described it as a “$70 million liability” for the program.  This means Alabama’s long-term investment in DeBoer—financially and otherwise—has the Crimson Tide in a tight spot. The massive buyout attached to his contract means, “It’s bad for the stock and they might have to stop trading right now, as it’s gotten so bad”, as explained by Paul on the podcast unless they’re willing to cough up an eye-popping sum to move on from him.

Besides that, Finebaum told Stewart Mandel it’s more than just a financial albatross that the university can’t easily shake. And not even the losses, he said on the show about DeBoer’s “demeanor” and his “terrible behavior” and feels like “the dam is about to break”. Referring to the undisciplined Bama, the coach is standing with no clue on the sidelines.

Kalen DeBoer’s penalties struggle with a heartfelt admit

A heavily penalized team, it’s the frequency of personal fouls, something that showed face again on Saturday against the Vols that is sickening. The penalties have become a major issue for Alabama under DeBoer. In the loss to the Vols, the Crimson Tide had 15 penalties for 115 yards. Finebaum took it a little further by criticizing the coach for his leadership.

The head coach, after their recent loss, admitted it’s going tough for him. “It’s hard to win in the SEC, and sometimes you have to take your lumps to figure it out,” DeBoer admitted in a post-game interview.

With two losses under their belt, Alabama’s playoff hopes are hanging by a thread or may have already dashed. Beating the ranked Missouri this week can ignite the team’s spirit. Kalen DeBoer will be looking to gain momentum for both his and his team’s sake.