Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide opened the 2025 season with a shocking 31-17 defeat on the road against the previously unranked Florida State Seminoles. Alabama was a 13.5-point favorite heading into the game—a line that no one would have batted an eye at considering that Florida State only managed to win two games in 2024, against California and Charleston Southern no less.
The win gives a huge boost to Mike Norvell’s team, while being equally as devastating for Kalen DeBoer’s side. Alabama was expected to bounce back from a disappointing 9-4 season, their worst since 2007. And while it remains too early to write them off entirely, what everyone saw from the Crimson Tide in Week 1 was highly concerning to put it mildly.
Problems On Both Sides Of The Ball
It wasn’t just that Alabama lost to a Florida State team that was coming off an abysmal season, it was how they lost. For three and a half hours, The Crimson Tide felt completely outplayed and outmatched on both sides of the ball. After a Ty Simpson to Josh Cuevas touchdown at the end of a lengthy opening drive, everything went downhill for Alabama.
The Seminoles managed to score on each of their next three drives (two touchdowns and a field goal) and ended up taking a 17-7 lead into the halftime locker room. Florida State remained the better team in the second half, extending their lead to 24-7 in the third quarter and never looking back.
Florida State’s biggest X-factor was their running game which gashed Alabama for a total of 230 yards on 49 attempts. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide struggled to run the ball all day long, finishing the game with just 87 yards on 29 attempts.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson was able to find some success through the air, most notably when targeting WR Germie Bernard, who caught 8 of 14 targets for 146 yards. However, Simpson struggled with consistency and ended up completing just 53.5 percent of his passes on the day. Alabama’s star wide receiver Ryan Williams had several big drops before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion.
Overall, it was a very disappointing performance from Kalen DeBoer’s men. The loss snaps Alabama’s long winning streak in season openers which had started all the way back in 2002.
Is Kalen DeBoer’s Job In Danger?
The defeat has placed Kalen DeBoer’s job under much scrutiny. Several prominent figures within College Football media, such as Paul Finebaum, have ramped up their criticism of DeBoer, openly questioning whether or not he is a capable successor to Nick Saban.
While it would be very surprising to see Alabama fire Kalen DeBoer at any point during the 2025 season, the pressure on him is mounting fast. To make matters even worse, the Crimson Tide’s season is at risk of becoming a trainwreck if DeBoer doesn’t get things turned around in the coming weeks. Alabama is only three weeks away from playing No. 4 Georgia at Sanford Stadium where the Bulldogs have not lost a game since October 12, 2019 when they were defeated in double overtime by South Carolina, 20-17.
Before then, Alabama will play Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin, both of whom they should beat in comfortable fashion. The Crimson Tide are currently 35-point favorites in Saturday’s game against ULM.
