Kalen DeBoer will contend to get a stamp of approval from Alabama fans in the key playoff game vs Oklahoma. But he’s one very important man down in the run-up to that clash. While WR coach JaMarcus Shephard is busy transitioning into being Oregon State’s HC, WR Ryan Williams raised a concern.

Shephard scored his first-ever head coaching gig at Oregon State, where he replaces Trent Bray. But the move has made things difficult for his role as WR coach in Tuscaloosa. His new duties have forced him to split time between the two programs, and both are equally important to him. He’s rebuilding his new team while also helping his former one prepare to take revenge against the Sooners. However, according to Ryan Williams, Shephard might not be an active figure in this seminal game.

“I don’t know if he’s gonna be around as much this week,” the WR told the press on December 12.

JaMarcus Shephard was announced as Oregon State’s HC on 28 November 2025. At Corvallis, he has had to busy himself with building his staff. He was available for the SEC Championship game, but it wasn’t a good night for the Tide. Georgia dismantled Alabama in the SEC game, with the offense struggling immensely. The receiver corps alarmingly dropped 20.8% of the passes in that game. The WR room is a big problem at the moment.

The WRs have begun a downward trend towards the end of the season. Ryan Williams himself has slipped downwards in the leaderboard, while TE Josh Cuevas has stepped up as the leading catcher. The WR has been in trouble the whole season, having recorded 9 drops in 12 games. These issues in the WR room have caused Ty Simpson’s passing prowess to take a hit. Coupled with bad pass protection, the star QB is having a really difficult time on the field. The QB was pressured 18 times in the SEC Championship game and was sacked three times. This number has been growing consistently since the November Oklahoma game.

In JaMarcus Shephard’s absence, assistants Tyler Hughes, Torrey Gill, and Bret Bolin have stepped up. All three are former WRs, while Hughes has coached the Patriots’ wideouts as WR coach. Bolin is a former Alabama WR himself. Kalen DeBoer is also pitching in, participating in the WR meetings. But without JaMarcus Shephard in play, things don’t seem very promising for the WR room.

The stakes are immensely high for Alabama and DeBoer, as they will once again face a lethal defense in Oklahoma. Brent Venables has established himself as one of the best defensive minds this season, which got the best of the Alabama offense earlier in the season. The Tide’s passing attack was restricted to 212 yards, and Simpson was also sacked 4 times. It isn’t just Alabama’s hopes of advancing further in the playoffs that are on the line in this game. Kalen DeBoer himself is at a serious risk.

Kalen DeBoer’s career is at risk if he loses to Oklahoma

Alabama has had an eventful 2 years under Kalen DeBoer. He earned a pass for the 9-4 record in 2024 since it was his debut. But even though he’s brought in 10 wins and a playoff spot this season, the calls for him to be removed have been getting louder since the Oklahoma game. Natty-winning and former Alabama RB Damien Harris raised an alarm for DeBoer’s job security ahead of this rematch.

“I think his job is on the line with this game,” he said in a December 12 appearance on CBS Sports HQ. “If we look at this Alabama team, and we say, you showed no improvement from the first time you played Oklahoma to the second time, you weren’t able to make adjustments to flip the script of that game, and you can’t win that football game. Luckily, getting into the playoffs, that’s going to be a problem.”

DeBoer missed out on the playoffs last year. And Alabama losing twice in the last 4 weeks has become a big red flag for the HC’s future. The offense has also lost its spark. Anywhere else, these conversations would never have sprung up. But because this is Alabama football, things are tricky for Kalen DeBoer. According to Harris, the HC is yet to take the Tide back to its glory days.

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“When we’re talking about the University of Alabama and the legacy that needs to be set and needs to be left, and Kalen DeBoer needs to put his own DNA on that, we’re not seeing that right now,” the former RB said. “We’re seeing a team that’s full of a lot of potential, has a lot of talent. They have a lot of resources, but they just haven’t lived up to the billing quite yet during that Kalen DeBoer tenure.”

Championships are the norm at Tuscaloosa, and Kalen DeBoer has already lost one this season. Alabama’s inclusion in the playoffs is controversial to begin with, and they have a fierce competitor to get past. Kalen DeBoer lost to Oklahoma last year as well, despite Brent Venables being on the hot seat at that time. Will it be his turn this time?