Nick Saban’s Daughter Expresses Worry for Kalen DeBoer as $70M Alabama Windfall Faces Verdict

There’s no bear left to fear at Tuscaloosa. Once a ferocious Nick Saban-powered powerhouse, Bama suffered a biting 17-31 defeat at Tallahassee over the weekend. DeBoer’s debut coaching season wasn’t a hit. Though it boasted 9+ wins, Bama fans were not satisfied. And the recent defeat only put gasoline on the already lit fire under Kalen DeBoer’s hot seat. The Bama fans, who are not the merriest bunch presently, are tossing hot takes at the head coach.

Amid the hot takes and severe criticism directed at the coaching staff and the player, Nick Saban’s daughter, Kristen, is coming at the critics. “Don’t forget there’s a family behind all of those players and coaches/staff.” It was a crushing weekend for Kalen DeBoer. And it’s all the rage in Tuscaloosa right now. Kristen further wrote on her Instagram story, “Everything you post can be read by anyone, and it hurts people. Just a friendly reminder.”

Kalen DeBoer’s response to Bama’s blunder? “There’s no excuse for what happened,” he said. During the offseason, Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos lit the fire as a way to motivate his roster. “They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.” Meanwhile, another interesting shady scoop has popped up on our feeds. Castellanos is reportedly selling ‘Nick can’t save them’ t-shirts and hoodies with 31-17 written below on his website. Maybe after Saban’s departure, the powerhouse prowess is fizzling out.

With this loss, now, Alabama and FSU’s historic record tallies at 3-1-2. Over the years, Bama was the dominant narrative, but the Seminoles have got the momentum strong. Yes, Bama fans are going Nick Saban right now. But an interesting nugget from the early 2000s witnessed the Seminoles crushing a Saban-led Crimson Tide.

Yes, you heard that right. In 2007, FSU faced off against Alabama at Tuscaloosa and won with 21-14. That was the very year that Saban filled the shoes of head coach at the Crimson Tide. Saban’s reaction to FSU QB? “He (then FSU QB Xavier Lee) gave them a spark, Nick Saban said, per Seminoles.com. “His ability to run made us play different.” So, perhaps, the Nick Saban saving Alabama against FSU might not hold as strongly as the Bama bunch would want to hear.

Fast forward to the present-day Tuscaloosa news feed. DeBoer is facing the heat. Even Paul Finebaum’s SEC-loyal brand couldn’t save DeBoer’s reputation. Certainly, there’s no escaping it. “It was a shattering loss for Kalen DeBoer,” he said on ESPN. “He had built up tremendous goodwill in the off-season. People believed in him after failing to believe in him at the end of last season.”

FSU was supposed to be a cakewalk. So much for that. Now, Alabama is staring down at a lot more challenging games. They have Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma. Let’s put Auburn in the mix as well. Not to forget, Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia is all fire right now. “His path is very narrow, and his hot seat is very scorching,” Finebaum further added. Now, the question is, what next? Can his hot seat status lead to a buyout?

Kalen DeBoer’s $70 million buyout

‘Fire DeBoer’ calls echoed all over Tuscaloosa, but his buyout seems rather unlikely if we stare at the million-dollar sum of $70 million. The program would owe roughly $69 million if it were to terminate DeBoer’s contract, which stretches on till 2031. If they go ahead with the buyout ($77 million, without cause), DeBoer would receive 90% of any remaining base salary, paid in monthly installments.

“Kalen DeBoer is almost impossible to fire this year. Buyout near $70 million … PLUS the roughly $21 million in salary cap that’s new … PLUS continuation of NIL deals … PLUS would need to pay a new coach … PLUS coordinator buyouts + new coordinators paid,” longtime Alabama insider Bama Perspective wrote.

And frankly, Alabama is not exactly financially secure presently. With the new NCAA $20.5 million revenue share with student athletes, they already have a lot piled up (or not) on their plate. Adding to that, wasn’t the Athletic Director appealing to the fans and the alumni network to donate to the Yea Alabama NIL collective to fight player poaching against schools offering higher pay? So, yes, Alabama firing DeBoer? Not likely to happen.