Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer could be in the crosshairs once again.
Kalen DeBoer certainly had some massive shoes to fill when he succeeded Nick Saban as the next coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Saban won six championships at Alabama, establishing himself as one of the greatest coaches in college football history. DeBoer did lead the Washington Huskies to a National Championship Game appearance, but his resume is otherwise sparse.
Early on, it looked like DeBoer might be in over his head at Tuscaloosa, as he went just 9-4 with a lifeless loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Year 1 and then suffered an embarrassing defeat against Florida State to open the 2025 season.
But after the Crimson Tide won eight straight games, including four victories over ranked SEC opponents, public opinion on DeBoer changed. He then guided Alabama to a thrilling comeback win over Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP.
However, the Crimson Tide were then routed by the Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl, and since then, DeBoer has lost numerous key members of his coaching staff. That's not to mention that a bunch of key players are heading to the NFL.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer. Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images.With Alabama losing some of its luster on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, ESPN's Paul Finebaum is concerned about the trajectory of the program.
“I would say, even if you go back to the end of the regular season, even the SEC Championship Game, I didn’t feel that badly about Kalen DeBoer,” Finebaum said during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “Especially when he was able to beat Oklahoma, it all seemed right."
Things have changed though, haven't they?
"But everything has seemingly gone wrong since then," Finebaum added. "I think he has some serious issues heading into late winter, early spring, in trying to, not only add to his staff, but do something about the seeming direction of the program.”
Finebaum is certainly not the only person who has expressed concern over 'Bama's future, as former NFL offensive lineman Cody Campbell questioned whether or not the school's blue blood days were essentially over while speaking on Will Cain Country.
There is no question Alabama does not feel quite the same anymore, but how much of that we can pin on DeBoer is the real question.