Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer is Facing Must-Win Situation vs Florida State

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Kalen DeBoer's low point in Tuscaloosa unquestionably came in Week 1 last year, when the Alabama Crimson Tide were hammered by the Florida State Seminoles, 31-17, in Tallahassee.

Florida State was coming off of a two-win season, and it ended up going just 5-7 in 2025. It wasn't a very good ballclub, and yet, Alabama looked completely unprepared.

Well, the Crimson Tide will get another crack at the Seminoles on Saturday afternoon, as Alabama will host Florida State in what is essentially a must-win game for DeBoer.

The Crimson Tide have gotten off to a 2-0 start this season, most recently beating Kentucky by a score of 45-17 on the road last week. The game was quite a bit closer than the score indicated, as Alabama was actually trailing at halftime.

Yes, 'Bama outscored the Wildcats 32-0 over the final 30 minutes to emerge from Kroger Field with an SEC victory, but not before making the fanbase sweat.

DeBoer is a good coach. He has gone 22-8 over his first two-plus seasons with the Tide, and he took Washington to the National Championship Game back in the 2023-24 campaign. But titles are expected in Alabama.

Crimson Tide fans have not yet fully warmed up to DeBoer, who carries the impossible task of filling the shoes of Nick Saban.

So imagine if Alabama loses to Florida State again — this time at home — on Saturday?

Let me be clear: I don't think it will happen. The Crimson Tide are the far superior team, and I think they will come away with a relatively easy win.

But if Alabama somehow fumbles this contest and loses? You can bet that the Tuscaloosa faithful will once again be prepared to hand DeBoer his pink slip.

There is quite a bit of pressure on DeBoer heading into this matchup. Surely, he knows he has the better squad, and he knows that Alabama should win comfortably.

That's what makes it so scary.

The Crimson Tide are on the cusp of being championship contenders this season. They probably aren't quite there yet, but there is no doubt that this is a super-talented roster.

Losing to Florida State, however, would represent multiple steps backward. Both for Alabama in 2026 and for DeBoer in general.

This is a must-win game for the Crimson Tide, and I think they'll deliver.

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