Alabama TE Forced to Issue Public Apology as Nick Saban’s Former OC Named Favorite to Replace Kalen DeBoer as HC

Chaos has arrived in Tuscaloosa. That wasn’t supposed to be the storyline for Bama football at the start, yet here we are. Alabama tight end said coaches were “fed up” after the 31-17 defeat at the hands of Florida State. This has No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide fans questioning everything about Kalen DeBoer’s second season. The program sits at 0-1, and the echoes of the Nick Saban standard sound louder now than ever. A fanbase that expected to keep contending is suddenly wrestling with dark clouds over its head coach, and chatter about his replacement has already started to swirl.

Inside the locker room, the frustration boiled over in the rawest way possible: an apology. Tight end Josh Cuevas was the one who said it aloud, putting words to what thousands in crimson felt on Saturday. “We just apologize, I guess, maybe. We lost. I apologize. That’s not the standard we’re used to here at Alabama. We expected to win. We have championship effort and meeting habits, and just kind of, like, practice habits and stuff like that. We’ll get them next time. We’ll bounce back.” It was as blunt and vulnerable as anything you’ll hear from a player wearing the crimson script A.

Cuevas wasn’t hiding. He caught three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown, snagging Ty Simpson’s first scoring strike as QB1 to polish off the Tide’s opening drive. That moment felt like Alabama—efficient, physical, precise. But the shine faded quickly. After the first series, Alabama was flat, outplayed, and looked ordinary. Cuevas, who did his part, still carried the collective burden in his words. His public mea culpa wasn’t just about a box score; it was about protecting the culture he had signed up for.

And then came the response, one that carried the edge you’d expect from a player who knows what Alabama football should feel like. “We’re coming back. We’re coming back harder. We gotta bounce back. We gotta respond. It’s just something that we have to do,” Cuevas said. “We know we set ourselves back. So, it’s just something that we need to get back on track with and kind of set ourselves up for a good rest of the season.” You could hear the sting in his voice, but also the fight. Sometimes teams lose angry—and Alabama has the look of one that wants to take it out on Louisiana-Monroe this Saturday.

The questions about “the standard” remain. That’s been the offseason buzzword, the measuring stick, the ghost in the room. Cuevas leaned into that conversation when pressed on what defines it. “Excellence in all we do. For sure. Doesn’t matter if we’re on the field, off the field, in the building, outside the building. It’s just something that we do all the time. Every decision that we make, it’s, we’re thinking about the team. And the team only. And winning, winning, winning.” By that definition, Bama fell short in Tallahassee. The loss wasn’t close, and neither was the product to Saban’s blueprint. Cuevas knew it, the coaches knew it, and the fans didn’t need reminding.

This brings us back to the man in charge. Kalen DeBoer is now staring at questions no coach wants after Week 1. Alabama doesn’t hand out patience in bulk. Already, speculation is running rampant about who could be next if this experiment unravels.

Who’s next for Bama if Kalen DeBoer’s seat burns out?

In the 11 months since Alabama’s stunning 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt, the fan base has grown restless, and the appetite to see Kalen DeBoer out of Tuscaloosa has only intensified. That frustration hit its peak after this past weekend’s stumble against FSU, a loss that didn’t just sting — it reopened every doubt about whether DeBoer is the man to keep Alabama in the stratosphere. And when fan frustration boils, Vegas listens.

For some offseason theater in the heart of the season, SportsBetting.ag dropped odds on Alabama’s next head coach — because, of course, the Tide faithful are already playing the ‘what if’ game. There are 22 candidates listed, each with their own odds, and the names at the top are a fascinating blend of familiar and surprising. Leading the pack is Tommy Rees, the former Alabama offensive coordinator and current Cleveland Browns OC.

Rees isn’t just a name fans know — he’s the guy who, in his one season with the Tide in 2023, helped Jalen Milroe unlock his best football, guiding Alabama to an SEC title and a CFP berth. Before that, he carved out his identity as a QB at Notre Dame under Brian Kelly in the 2010s, then jumped into coaching with experiences spanning both college sidelines and the NFL headset.

Right behind him is a wild card: Glenn Schumann, currently the DC of the Georgia Bulldogs. An Alabama alum and a trusted defensive mind, Schumann isn’t a household name outside of die-hard circles. What ties him to Rees is telling — both carry the Nick Saban Alabama stamp of approval, but neither has ever been a head coach.