Can Coach Kalen Deboer Handle The Heat In The Alabama Kitchen?

Roll Tide, it is SEC Media Days!

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This is a sure sign that my beloved game of college football is just around the corner. You can almost taste it. I really don’t enjoy writing articles like this. As a reporter who covers news, sports, and lifestyle topics, I would prefer to be singing the praises of our head coach.

The day started with a debate on ESPN with Stephen A Smith making the point that he doesn’t think Kalen DeBoer is right for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program. He cited the four losses in two straight years among a few other things; in fact, one of the more disturbing points that he made was how little the Alabama football program was being discussed during SEC media days.

Smith said that was incredibly unusual because Alabama used to dominate all of the conversation during this week. Today it was Alabama’s turn to take the podium and present the vision for our future in 2026/2027. I was underwhelmed.

I understand that Coach DeBoer is not one of those intense, fire-in-the-belly, screaming kind of coaches. All kinds of coaches have success in major college and pro sports. You don’t have to be that kind of coach to win.

However, you do have to know the difference between unacceptable and acceptable. One of the statements that Coach DeBoer made in a roundabout way defended the team’s performance last season. He spoke of how the team overcame the loss at Florida State to go on and make the postseason tournament. Yes, that was a great thing. It was still a failure. Did we win the national championship? I may be a rabid fan, but I do have perspective.

I understand we can’t win the national title every year. I would like to win it every year, but I know it’s just not possible in college sports today. Come on, man, you can’t call last season a success and make the statement that last year you “righted a wrong”. I really would love to know what Coach Nick Saban was thinking as he quietly listened to DeBoer.

Two things can be true at the same time.

There is no doubt about Coach Kalen DeBoers' history as a college football coach. He has won in multiple programs. He won out West at the University of Washington. I hear this argument all the time, and I agree that he is a winner.

However, it is also true that he has never won in the SEC. There’s a massive difference between the pressure of leading a legendary and iconic SEC school and leading Washington. This is where I think it’s fair to ask: is he the right fit for Alabama?

Yes, I know he was signed to a contract extension, but those are not always a guarantee. I realize other schools have come after him in recent years, but if we don’t have a significant change in the program in 2026, maybe he should head to another program with less pressure.