The Alabama Crimson Tide has had a glorious past. Their time under Nick Saban is often regarded as one of the most dominant runs by any program. But time has changed now, and the Crimson Tide are being led by Kalen DeBoer.
DeBoer joined Alabama in 2024. A couple of days ago, Alabama opened their new season against the Florida State Seminoles. They fell to an unranked team 31-17 in a matchup that can be best described as one-sided.
Before Alabama faces more such humiliation down the road, Stephen A. Smith, on an episode of First Take, made it clear that DeBoer needs to be fired. In a passionate rant against the Crimson Tide coach, SAS explained why the loss was more than what it appeared on the scoresheet.
“I dreamed of playing against Alabama. They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me,” Nick Castellanos had said in June.
Smith referred to the Castellanos comment and asked Alabama to fire their coach.
“Who would’ve ever thought that somebody would have the audacity, the unmitigated goal to call out Nick Saban,” Smith said (11:09). “They would never. But they did it, why? Because Kalen DeBoer is coaching them…The days of Alabama with Nick Saban are gone.”
Stephen A. said that the possibility of bringing back Saban to save the Crimson Tide is very remote. He is busy doing College Football GameDay, an enviable position for anyone in the media. So, getting him off that chair and back into the head coaching position is highly unlikely.
Smith discarded any possibility of DeBoer turning things around to make history with this team. He believes that it’s simply not possible.
Kalen DeBoer Wants To Take A Different Approach This Season
While DeBoer is facing a barrage of criticism after losing against Florida State, he wants to ignore the noise and focus on getting his team on track. On Monday, he talked about taking a different approach in 2025 than he did last year.
“I really feel like the tone in the locker room after the game, at least from my standpoint and how I can address the team is completely different than a year ago,” DeBoer said. “We don’t need to speak in those terms, but it feels different. There’s more of a flat-out upset.”
The Crimson Tide were a heavy favorite to win their season opener. Going against an underdog and losing in such fashion has become an unfortunate trend for the program. They lost several such matchups last year.
DeBoer said that he is upset over the loss, but he can’t afford to sit with that feeling for long. He understands that one great game can shift the momentum and boost the morale of his players. So, for now, he is only focusing on that.
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