Alabama’s season opener against East Carolina brings a small but notable milestone for Kalen DeBoer: he’s stepping into Year 3 as a head coach for the first time in his FBS career.
That run of short stays is finally over. DeBoer has not been the head coach of an FBS program for more than two seasons, and Saturday’s game against East Carolina marks the end of that stretch. The last time he entered a third season as a head coach was in 2007, when he guided Sioux Falls to a 13-1 record before a loss in the NAIA Championship.
The matchup itself comes with a thin history. Alabama and East Carolina have met only once, with the Crimson Tide edging the Pirates 23-22 on Oct. 17, 1998, in Birmingham. DeBoer has never coached against East Carolina, and Pirates coach Blake Harrell has never faced Alabama.
Kickoff is set for Saturday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m. CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will air on ABC and can also be streamed on Fubo, WatchESPN or the ESPN app.
Alabama’s 2026 schedule also starts to take shape beyond this opener. After East Carolina, the Crimson Tide are set to play at Kentucky on Sept. 12, host Florida State on Sept. 19, then face South Carolina on Sept.
- The rest of the schedule includes games at Mississippi State, home against Georgia, at Tennessee, home against Texas A&M, at LSU, at Vanderbilt, home against Chattanooga and home against Auburn.
In Other News...
Alabama Fans Have A New National Shot To Fire Back At
Colin Cowherd took aim at Alabama on social media after posting a photo of the crowd from the Crimson Tides game against East Carolina, calling the turnout disgraceful and saying the program is not a real college football town. The reaction was immediate, and plenty of Alabama fans pushed back hard, arguing that the image did not tell the whole story and pointing to familiar gameday factors like the heat and fans drifting toward shade.
The uproar is another reminder of how quickly Alabama becomes a national talking point, even in the early stages of a season. It also comes at a time when every outside critique seems to land a little harder around Tuscaloosa, with Kalen DeBoer already carrying the pressure that comes with coaching the Crimson Tide and a fan base that has no interest in being told its football identity is fading. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Revisits Messy Nick Saban Chapter With Alabama Fans Watching
Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban put the old friction to the side during a recent College GameDay appearance, offering a rare public reset on a relationship that once carried plenty of edge during Kiffins time as Alabamas offensive coordinator. Kiffin spoke about growing up a bit and better understanding how Saban operates, while Saban had praise for the way Kiffins career has evolved since those days. For Alabama fans, it was a reminder of how much has changed since that partnership ended and how long both men have remained part of the same conversation.
Kiffins later controversial move to LSU only added another layer to the reunion, especially with his name still capable of stirring old feelings around the SEC. The appearance also comes as eligibility questions continue to swirl around former players, keeping the broader Alabama-LSU and Saban-Kiffin storyline from ever really feeling settled. Even in a setting built for college football nostalgia, there was still enough unresolved history in the room to make the exchange feel like more than a simple nod to the past. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama's Opener Felt Bigger Than A Blowout For One Reason
Alabama opened the 2026 season with the kind of win that usually leaves little room for doubt, rolling past East Carolina 48-10 and showing plenty of the balance that has become part of the programs standard. The offense found the end zone multiple times, the defense added to the scoring, and contributions from Daniel Hill, Ryan Coleman-Williams and Yhonzae Pierre helped make it a complete performance rather than just a fast start.
Still, the bigger takeaway was the night Keelon Russell announced himself in his first start at quarterback. Russell accounted for 342 yards of total offense, giving Alabama a glimpse of how the attack can look with him directing it, and the opener had the feel of more than a routine September blowout because of it. Even with so much going right, the clearest question now is how this version of the Crimson Tide keeps building around a debut that came with real promise. [Read more 🡒]