Kalen DeBoer Hot Seat Chatter Sparks Before Alabama's Season Opener

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Kalen DeBoer is now entering his third season as Alabama Crimson Tide head coach, and let's just say his first two years did not go very well.

Not by Alabama standards, anyway.

DeBoer went 20-8 between 2024 and 2025, most recently leading the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff appearance. However, Alabama was absolutely annihilated by Indiana in the Rose Bowl last winter, which was unacceptable in Tuscaloosa.

Now, the Crimson Tide are entering the campaign ranked a modest No. 13 in the country. Most do not view them as legitimate national championship contenders, which is pretty much a sin among 'Bama fans.

So, is it possible that DeBoer could be on the hot seat going into the campaign?

ESPN's Paul Finebaum thinks so, telling Blake Toppmeyer on the College Football Unfiltered podcast that DeBoer "could find himself there" depending on how things shake out this fall.

More specifically, Finebaum doesn't like the verbiage DeBoer used at SEC Media Days and said he "doesn't talk the language" of Alabama fans.

"He said, 'Yeah I'm aware of that. We knew what we signed up for.' Opposed to slamming his fist down and saying, 'We're gonna win a blanking national championship at Alabama because everyone else did,'" Finebaum said of DeBoer's comments. "I know that sounds crazy. Words don't win national championships, but in today's environment, where money is the most important source of success, you have to be able to motivate your fan base."

But does blindly guaranteeing a championship actually help? Finebaum seems to believe it does, particularly when it comes to the Crimson Tide.

Expectations are always high in Tuscaloosa, and Nick Saban set the bar for that. Saban won six national championships during his time at Alabama, establishing himself as arguably the greatest college football coach of all time.

However, the landscape is very different now than it was under Saban. Finebaum surely knows that, but he clearly has made it a point to pick on DeBoer.

There is no question DeBoer needs to be better, especially if he wants to be revered by Crimson Tide fans. But it's not so simple as claiming you're going to win a championship.

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