Kalen DeBoer’s grade has fallen in his debut year in Tuscaloosa. After dominating their opponents till Week 4, Alabama’s narrative flipped with the fatal Vanderbilt loss. While the Crimson Tide bounced back with a narrow win against South Carolina, their subsequent loss to Tennessee has put DeBoer in a tough spot. Alabama has fallen out of the Top 12 AP Poll, and the loss has also tarnished the reputation of his quarterback Jalen Milroe.

On October 26, an interesting opinion on Kalen DeBoer’s performance grade emerged on ESPN College Football on YouTube. ESPN’s College Football Playoff insider Heather Dinich made an appearance on The Kickoff with Randy Scott and Gary Striewski to give midterm grades to CFB coaches who are in their first year. In her grades, Dinich wasn’t lenient with Kalen DeBoer, as she graded him “a C, maybe a C minus.” “They’re average,” she said. “This is an average team.” 

After Alabama fell to Vanderbilt, they never really recovered, and Dinich didn’t fail to mention Kalen DeBoer and Jalen Milroe’s plight in their last three games. She added, “Look, we’re talking three straight weeks turnovers; three straight weeks Jalen Milroe has been sacked a combined nine times, and the penalties last week, 15 penalties for 115 yards. So, not a playoff team. An average team. An average C.” 

Alabama began to backslide after that upset 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt, where they had two turnovers and suffered six penalties for 57 yards while Jalen Milroe was sacked two times. Against South Carolina, they were able to make a close 27-25 win but they committed seven penalties while their QB suffered a season-high four sacks. Following that stressful game, Kalen DeBoer said, “Penalties, we’re striving for zero. That’s what we’re trying to do. We emphasize it.” But the same thing happened in their next game with Tennessee. 

Jalen Milroe hands disappointment to Alabama alums

Jalen Milroe was enjoying all the offseason hype but like his new HC Kalen DeBoer, things became rough with time. The 24-17 loss to Tennessee saw another night of the Bama star QB getting sacked three times as the Crimson Tide suffered 15 penalties for 115 yards. What a hard time to be a Bama fan! 

Even a former Crimson Tide QB, AJ McCarron, is disappointed with Milroe’s performance, especially in the running game, saying that “his biggest negative is he doesn’t use his feet enough.” In seven games, Milroe averaged 3.6 yards per carry and recorded 91 carries for 330 yards and 11 TDs. In the last loss against the Volunteers, he completed 25 of 45 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown. And McCarron isn’t the only former Alabama alum who is frustrated with Jalen Milroe after his lackluster performance. Even former wide receiver Matt Caddell expressed his disappointment, saying, “Man, get back in the lab. Work on your ground.” Now, the question is: Will Milroe be able to regain his footing and return to form?