Stephen A. Smith Compares Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer to Jimbo Fisher

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Ever since the University of Alabama lost legendary coach Nick Saban to retirement, the road back to greatness has been bumpy.

And on that road has been a never-ending white hot light for current head coach, Kalen DeBoer.

From the moment Alabama lost its first game under DeBoer, the comments came in at a rapid pace.

Alabama fans certainly remember Game 1 of the 2025 season, when the Crimson Tide came into Tallahassee and got pummeled by Florida State.

Things got so out of control after that game, that people were calling for DeBoer’s job. Fans were joking about winning the lottery and using that money to pay off DeBoer's buyout clause. At least, some of them were.

Gump Nation takes its football seriously, in case you couldn’t tell.

But what really stood out was on Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Paul Finebaum and Jordan Rodgers spoke at SEC Media Day. And it was Smith who had the hottest of all takes.

“It took six years for this man [referring to Saban] to lose eight games. In two years, Kalen DeBoer has lost that many games his first two years there. He’s lost four games each season. They were lucky to get to the postseason… You got Alabama fans talking about buying the man out. Give him the money to just go away. Call him Jimbo Fisher. Call him Brian Kelly. Do something. Get rid of him, because he ain’t the guy.”

No one said that following a coach that ended up winning six National Titles was going to be easy.

Fair or not, that's the standard DeBoer inherited the moment he accepted the job.

Ultimately, even after signing a lofty extension this offseason, that light that has been shone upon DeBoer is only going to get hotter.

I’m talking Tuscaloosa in August-type of hot.

DeBoer had his two seasons of grace. He largely rode with the core of players who were already on campus when he arrived in Tuscaloosa.

Now, we get the full DeBoer vision.

This season, only one player who played under Saban will be suiting up for the Tide, and that’s Jah-Marien Latham. The overwhelming majority of the roster now consists of players recruited and signed under DeBoer.

When you represent the ‘Script A,’ it’s kill or be killed. Tuscaloosa may not be the biggest city in the world, but the pressure is as strong as it would be if this were New York.

Any sign of vulnerability, and the comments that Smith made will only continue to get louder.

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