There’s no polite way to say this, so let’s not pretend: Kalen DeBoer should have benched Ty Simpson after the first half. 

Period.

End of story.

And because he didn’t, Alabama paid the price in the biggest moment of the season.

Ty Simpson finished the game 19-of-39 for 212 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, but the stat line doesn’t tell the full story.

He was inaccurate.

He was rattled.

He was missing throws that SEC quarterbacks have to hit.

He was dragging an already struggling offense deeper into the mud with every series.

You could feel it. Alabama fans everywhere could feel it. Everyone watching this team tonight knew something had to change.

Except the one person with the power to make that change.

And that’s the problem. 

Championship coaches aren’t afraid of the uncomfortable decision.

Nick Saban didn’t build a dynasty by hoping things magically fixed themselves.

He didn’t cling to a struggling quarterback just because he didn’t want to hurt feelings.

He didn’t coach scared.

We all remember the moment. Jalen Hurts: beloved, respected, accomplished, wasn’t getting it done in the National Championship.

A halftime decision had to be made.

And Saban made it.

He turned to Tua Tagovailoa.

What happened next?

Second-and-26.

A walk-off bomb.

A national title.

Saban became a legend because he wasn’t afraid to do the hard thing.

Tonight demanded that same kind of decision. 

Alabama needed a spark. The defense was clawing to keep the team alive. The receivers were open. The run game was begging for balance. Momentum was there for the taking, but the quarterback play was holding everything back like a cinderblock tied to the offense’s ankle.

This moment demanded boldness.

It demanded leadership.

It demanded the courage to pull the plug on something that clearly wasn’t working.

Kalen DeBoer didn’t do it.

And that’s why Alabama lost.

This isn’t about giving up on Ty Simpson. It’s about fighting for the season.

Sometimes the moment is bigger than one player. Sometimes the team needs a jolt, a change of energy, a new set of eyes in the pocket.

That’s football. That’s coaching. That’s the SEC.

DeBoer can’t afford to coach with fear or hesitation, not at Alabama. Not with this standard. Not with this legacy sitting on his shoulders.

If he wants to write his own era of greatness in crimson and white, he has to show he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Even if it’s tough.

Even if it’s controversial.

Even if it means making a move that hurts in the moment but saves the season.

Championship-level leadership doesn’t hesitate. It doesn’t hope. It acts.

Tonight, Alabama needed action.

Instead, they got caution. And it cost them everything.

It’s time for Kalen DeBoer to take a long, honest look in the mirror and decide exactly what kind of coach he intends to be at the University of Alabama.

Is he going to be the kind of leader who tiptoes through big moments, coaching not to lose, hoping things work themselves out?

Or is he going to be the kind of coach who seizes the moment with both hands. who makes the bold, fearless, uncomfortable decisions that win championships in Tuscaloosa?

Because let’s be clear: this program was not built on comfort.

It was not built on hesitation.

It was built on conviction.

It was built on decisive leadership.

It was built on men willing to take risks when everything was on the line.

And Alabama fans know the difference. We’ve witnessed it. We’ve lived it. We’ve celebrated the trophies that came because a coach refused to blink in the face of pressure.

That’s the standard.

That’s the expectation.

And that’s why this moment matters so much.

Alabama football deserves a coach who doesn’t flinch when the season is hanging by a thread.

A coach who recognizes when something isn’t working and isn’t afraid to pull the trigger.

A coach who understands that greatness isn’t given, it’s taken by those who are brave enough to make the hard choices when everyone else is paralyzed by the moment.

This fanbase, this tradition, this program: they deserve a leader who will never shrink from the weight of the crimson standard.

They deserve a coach who runs toward the fire, not away from it.

A coach who doesn’t settle.

A coach who doesn’t hesitate.

A coach who doesn’t blink when greatness calls.

And if Kalen DeBoer wants to continue to be that man, he’s going to have to make the hard call, stare down the pressure, and do whatever it takes to win: no excuses, no hesitation, no turning back.

Roll Tide.