Alabama just finished its first season under new head coach Kalen DeBoer, and it didn’t go as well as many thought.
Everyone knew replacing Nick Saban would be difficult, and DeBoer wouldn’t come in Year One and win it all. Still, after the Crimson Tide took down Georgia in late September and became the number-one-ranked team in the country, it was an epic downfall from there.
Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, missing the first 12-team college football playoffs. It then lost to a bad Michigan team in its bowl game.
The story in the SEC this season was how down of a year it was for the top teams, and when Alabama is not going well, the rest of the conference takes a step back. One college football analyst who knows about the South is giving DeBoer a lousy grade for his first season.
Kalen DeBoer Gets A D
Clay Travis, the founder of Outkick.com and who knows his way around SEC football, was on the The Next Round radio show and was asked, what grade do you give Kalen DeBoer after his first season as Alabama’s head coach?
Travis responded, “I would give him a D. Nick Saban, in 17 years, lost 3 games as a 14+ point favorite, and Kalen DeBoer did it in year 1.”
What grade would you give Kalen DeBoer after his first season as Alabama’s head coach?
“I would give him a D. Nick Saban, in 17 years, lost 3 games as a 14+ point favorite and Kalen DeBoer did it in year 1.” @ClayTravis pic.twitter.com/G0pbAXxJGW
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) January 2, 2025
Giving DeBoer a D is a little harsh since he beat Georgia, went on the road to LSU, and got a great win. However, the standard at Alabama is winning titles and playing in the playoffs, and it doesn’t matter who coaches or how many years they have been there.
DeBoer will need to have a big year two, and if he misses the playoffs again, many people in Tuscaloosa will put him on the hot seat.
