Alabama‘s inaugural campaign under former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer was full of ups and downs. Such can be expected in the first year of a tenure. The Crimson Tide shot to a No. 1 ranking following a 42-10 drumming of Wisconsin and an incredible 41-34 win over Georgia, but went just 5-4 over their final nine games with losses to Vanderbilt, No. 11 Tennessee, Oklahoma and Michigan. It marked the first season that Alabama had lost three games to unranked opponents since 2007 (Nick Saban‘s first season).
Due to a disappointing first year and the amount of pressure being placed on him this season, former NFL wide receiver and ESPN analyst Harry Douglas placed DeBoer on the hot seat this year. He did so on Friday morning’s edition of “Get Up.”
“I’m going to Alabama and Kalen DeBoer,” Douglas responded when asked about coaches on the hot seat. “And it’s hard when you have to follow a legend. You have to follow a legend like Nick Saban and you don’t make the College Football Playoff in your first year. You don’t play for an SEC Championship. I tell you one thing, fans are not gonna wait. They’re gonna put this pressure on Coach DeBoer. He now has his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, who we had at the University of Washington. Let’s see if things can get better for the Alabama Crimson Tide moving forward in 2025.”
Finebaum says Alabama fans could turn on DeBoer
Prior to the 2024 season, the Crimson Tide had lost four games in a season just six times in the 2000s (all coming within a 2000-2007 span). Although Douglas was extremely bullish on DeBoer, fellow ESPN analyst Paul FInebaum took a softer approach and applauded him for his recruiting. However, he did claim that things could turn quickly if results don’t show up early.
“[Alabama fans] are conflicted because of what Harry said,” Finebaum said. “Following Nick Saban is impossible. It took nearly 30 years to replace Bear Bryant at Alabama. The problem is that Kalen DeBoer appears well but he blew three games last year as double-digit favorites (Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Michigan). That happened three times in about 120 games under Nick Saban. But he has done one thing really well… he’s recruited at an absolutely elite level. That’s happening right now for next year.” “He has a better quarterback this year than he did last year, so I think Alabama fans are gonna gather around him and hug him until he starts losing games. But yes, Harry, you’re right, they’ll turn on him very quickly.”
