The Kalen DeBoer experiment has yet to find its footing at Tuscaloosa. Alabama improved in his second year, won a playoff game, and featured in the SEC Championship game. However, issues that plagued his 9-4 first season continue to persist. Things are such that insiders like Paul Finebaum are coming out to slam the head coach and his fit with the program.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to likes Kalen DeBoer and thinks that he is a very good football coach, maybe a top-tier football coach. Everyone that I’ve also talked to asks the same question: Is he the right football coach for Alabama?” the ESPN analyst asked on January 5. “You just have to pick your poison when you’re talking about him. He has tremendous accomplishments.

But Thursday afternoon in Pasadena shattered a lot of the belief that this program is going to get to where a lot of folks thought it could get, and that’s a championship situation. I don’t have an answer on this Monday morning. That was a shattering loss, and the one that I can’t wrap my head around.”

Frankly, it is hard to argue with him. Indiana didn’t just beat Alabama; they pushed them to the wall and how. The Hoosiers rolled up 407 yards of offense and held to just a meager 193. The situation appeared to be one-sided rather than a competitive game between two teams.

For a program built on imposing its will, being pushed around in that manner on a national stage was jarring. What makes this entire affair sting for the fans is that this comes after the fans decided to give DeBoer a chance.

The Bama fans had lost all hope in their head coach after the loss to Florida State, a team that was coming off a 2-10 season. However, Alabama went on a run, and in the process, they won four straight games against ranked opponents. That included an away win at Athens. For a moment, it looked like the $87M coach had found his footing. But Oklahoma exposed the flaws, and then Georgia and Indiana just embarrassed the Tide on the national stage.

And what doesn’t help is the head coach’s comment after the gut-wrenching loss.

“It’s such a fine line. It may not feel like it when you’re in this moment right now and with what happened today, but I can tell you it’s a fine line between being here and being at the top,” he said. This masked statement landed flat for the fans. And after a 35-point loss, the fans were honestly not looking for perspective; they were looking for some accountability. However, calls for the head coach’s firing are now circulating. 

Now the question is, will the head coach do what he is supposed to—tighten the grip on his team?

Will Kalen DeBoer push the reset button at Alabama?

When the Crimson Tide was blown out by Indiana, the loss felt shocking, not because of the score difference, but because there was a lack of resistance. The performance put everything under the microscope, be it the running game or the defense. And now respected voices are openly asking the head coach to make changes and make them quickly. On Josh Pate’s College Football Show, analyst Josh Pate didn’t hold back his assessment. According to him, the coach needs to address two main things right now.

First is the mental approach of the program, and second is the makeup of his staff.

Top Stories

Sources: John Harbaugh Wasn’t Fired, Left Ravens After Refusing Major Staff Changes

Andy Reid Fires Coach In Attempt to Rebuild Staff After Receiving HC Requests For Chiefs’ Coordinators

Three Arrested in Cleveland For Burglary at Shedeur Sanders’ Home

Mike McDaniel Contract: How Much Do Miami Dolphins Owe the Fired Coach?

Michael Jordan’s Bulls Teammate, Basketball Leagues Founder Dies at 68

Bill Cowher’s Strong Message to Steelers on Firing Mike Tomlin After HC’s Blunt Playoff Message

Pete stressed that while there are good coaches in the mix, not everyone has a place at the table. And the one who can make this right is the team’s head coach. These comments matter because the pressure points are obvious. Alabama’s offensive line and running game have struggled poorly in the team’s biggest moments—be it with Georgia, Indiana, or even that season opener.

This puts running backs coach Robert Gillespie and offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic on the hot seat. As for DeBoer, he hasn’t pushed back on the idea of a staff change. After the Rose Bowl loss, he did hint strongly that changes could be coming. He talked about “starting over from scratch” and putting the “right people” around him with a shared purpose.

And honestly, this is the standard that’s withheld in Tuscaloosa. For DeBoer, the timing couldn’t be more critical, given that the transfer portal is open. The players are watching, and the recruits will be paying more attention. So, now DeBoer needs to decide: will he wait for calls of “fire DeBoer” to get louder, or will he make the necessary changes to the team to meet the usual standard?