Paul Finebaum is now swinging for the fences with his latest take on Nick Saban’s 2022 coaching job at Alabama.
The ESPN analyst joined First Take on Friday morning and did not hold back. He said this was a bad year for Saban and called this season ‘the worst coaching job’ during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. Alabama finished the regular season at 10-2 and will play Kansas State on Saturday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. Losses to Tennessee and LSU on the road prevented Alabama from getting into the College Football Playoff. Finebaum said Saban looks ‘distant’ from the game versus Kirby Smart.
“This was probably the worst coaching job I’ve seen by Nick Saban during his tenure at Alabama.”
😳 @finebaum pic.twitter.com/LJy2C4Aqci
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 30, 2022
“He started the season as one of the biggest favorites since USC probably 15 to 20 years ago,” Finebaum said about Saban.
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“He had the best player in the country, the Heisman Trophy winner in Bryce Young. He had Will Anderson. Look at the mock drafts, we are talking about maybe No. 1 and No. 3 going, and that’s not all he had. This team underperformed. It is not a reach to say Alabama could have been 8-4 this year. His team was undisciplined, and I know age is a funny thing. He is 71, but what does that mean? He won a national championship two years ago at 69. Kirby Smart looks like Nick Saban did a few years ago. He has the energy and passion. He has everything going for him while we are talking about if Saban is close to the end.”
Smart has the Bulldogs playing for an opportunity to win back-to-back national championships. Saban is trying to have his team finish strong in the Sugar Bowl. Is Finebaum providing extra motivation for Saban and Alabama to run through college football next season? We shall see.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
