Kalen DeBoer’s career at Alabama looked to be heading for a honeymoon start after knocking off Georgia on the last Saturday of September. Now almost a month later, the cold harsh reality of October has set in. DeBoer’s Crimson Tide have suffered two losses in three games, the most recent of which being a 24-17 defeat to Alabama’s second biggest rival, the Tennessee Volunteers.
While it is noteworthy to mention that the Tide were an inauspicious 7-6 in Nick Saban’s first season as head coach back in 2007, things are different now. Alabama has a championship or bust mentality after winning six National Champions in the past 15 years. The fans’ expectations are considerably higher than they were when Saban took the job. Could another loss in the coming weeks make things a bit uncomfortable for the Tide’s new head coach?
What’s at Stake Against Missouri?
This Saturday’s game against the Missouri Tigers is surely a must win, not only to boost the morale of the team and its’ fans, but also to maintain a reasonable hope of making the 12-team College Football Playoff field. Perhaps most importantly, it is crucial that the Crimson Tide find a way to win against Missouri because they have a tougher game ahead.
After a much needed bye week, Alabama will head to Baton Rouge for a matchup with LSU that always proves to be close and exciting. That game will undoubtedly be a difficult test for the Tide, a factor which makes a win in this week’s game all the more important.
Is There Any Chance That Kalen DeBoer Could be Fired?
For the sake of argument, let’s say that things fall apart in the final month of the season and Alabama finishes with a record of 8-4 or even 7-5, a mark that would be more than disastrous. Even then, I don’t believe that the team will elect to give up on DeBoer after only one season.
For one, it is incredibly rare in college football and in the NFL to see a head coach fired after just one season. It appears to be a safe assumption that DeBoer will remain as the Tide’s head coach for at least one more season, even if this season ends up going belly up. With that being said, DeBoer would definitely be on a short leash heading into 2025. At a program like Alabama, back-to-back disappointing seasons would likely be enough to cost DeBoer his job.
On a more positive note, this season still has much to play for since having multiple losses is no longer a proverbial death knell. The Crimson Tide will surely earn a spot in the expanded College Football playoff if they win out, with the schedule ahead, aside from the game at LSU, being very favorable. There are still plenty of opportunities this season for DeBoer to prove that he is the right candidate to lead Alabama into their new era. In order to get the season back on track, DeBoer must find a way to bring the team back to their level of play in the first half of the Georgia game.
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