Kalen DeBoer walked into one of the most pressure-packed jobs in college football when he took over for Nick Saban at Alabama. And now, heading into his third season in Tuscaloosa, the scrutiny hasn’t let up.
Yes, he brought the Crimson Tide back to the College Football Playoff and even notched a road win in the first round - no small feat. But for a program with Alabama’s expectations, four losses and some glaring weaknesses have critics circling.
The most obvious issue? The run game just wasn’t Alabama-caliber.
But right behind that was pass protection - a problem that became even more pronounced late in the season when key veterans like tight end Josh Cuevas and running back Jam Miller missed time. And according to Cuevas, who followed DeBoer from Washington to Alabama, the problems went beyond just talent.
Speaking from the Senior Bowl on Tuesday, Cuevas joined Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman to break down what went wrong - and what needs to change. His assessment was candid.
“I can tell you right now,” Cuevas said, “our communication up front, whether it be O-line, tight ends, just stuff like that. Protection checks and stuff from the quarterback - that can get tremendously better. I think we had a little bit of trouble handling pressure, and blitzes, and stuff from defenses all year.”
That’s a pretty direct shot at the heart of Alabama’s offensive struggles. Communication breakdowns across the line - from the offensive line to the tight ends to the quarterback - are the kind of issues that can derail even the most talented units. And when those breakdowns come against the kind of exotic pressure packages SEC defenses throw at you week after week, they get exposed fast.
What’s particularly interesting is that Cuevas didn’t shy away from including the quarterback - Ty Simpson - in that conversation. Simpson, despite being in the program for three years, was in his first season as the full-time starter.
He had the unenviable task of stepping into a complex, pro-style offense run by DeBoer and longtime offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. And while Simpson showed flashes of brilliance throughout the year, there were also moments where the operation stalled - sometimes literally.
There were multiple instances when Alabama had to burn timeouts because the play clock was winding down and the offense wasn’t set. That’s often a sign of a quarterback carrying too much mental load at the line of scrimmage. Simpson was trusted with a lot - protection checks, audibles, pre-snap reads - and while he handled much of it well, the cracks showed under pressure.
This isn’t to say Simpson was the problem. Far from it.
He often got the Tide into the right play and showed poise in big moments. But when protection issues pop up consistently, and when communication is flagged by a veteran like Cuevas, it’s fair to say the blame has to be shared.
And ultimately, that responsibility lands on the head coach.
Looking ahead, DeBoer may need to recalibrate. With Simpson, Cuevas, and Miller all headed for the NFL, Alabama is going to get younger in 2026. That likely means a new starter under center - whether it’s Austin Mack or redshirt freshman Keelon Russell - and with that comes a new learning curve.
Given the complexity of DeBoer and Grubb’s offense, it may be time to simplify things a bit for the next signal-caller. The system works - we’ve seen that - but asking a first-year starter to handle full protection responsibilities in that scheme might be too much too soon.
The good news? Help is on the way.
Alabama has made some key additions up front, and the roster is being reshaped by general manager Courtney Morgan. Talent won’t be the issue.
But if communication doesn’t improve - if protection checks and blitz pickups remain a problem - it won’t matter how many five-stars are lined up in front.
DeBoer knows what’s at stake. The pieces are there for another title run, but for Alabama to get back to the top, the offensive front has to be more than just talented - it has to be in sync.
That starts with communication, and according to Cuevas, that’s where the Tide fell short in 2025. Fix that, and Alabama might just silence the critics again.