Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is finding out how quickly the temperature rises in Tuscaloosa.
Not long ago, he was getting hammered for being too soft, too relaxed, too easy to live with. Now, after a heated moment in Saturday’s 20-17 loss to Georgia, he’s taking heat from the other direction for what looked like a loss of control.
Late in the game, DeBoer unloaded on sophomore cornerback Dijon Lee Jr. after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that effectively closed the door on the Crimson Tide. He was seen tracking Lee down and repeatedly yelling, "you cost us the game" in his face. Afterward, DeBoer brought up the moment in his postgame comments and stressed "emotional maturity" for Lee and for the team.
That message didn’t sit entirely cleanly with Brian Deck, vice president of team development for the Carolina Panthers and a former Green Beret, who spoke with Rafi Kohan of The Athletic.
“Whenever a leader can’t manage his emotions, that just basically reverberates throughout the group,” Deck said. “There’s no time when your guys will pay more attention to what you’re doing than when the [expletive] hits the fan.”
Deck’s point was simple: the coach’s demeanor sets the tone, especially when things go sideways.
“You’ve got to teach them awareness and self-regulation skills so that they learn to practice them under duress - so they can use them when they need them the most,” Decker added. “Because if you haven’t practiced it under duress, you’re not going to do it.”
What makes the whole thing so striking is that DeBoer used to be criticized for the exact opposite problem. For too long, the 51-year-old was portrayed as being too laid back, not hardened enough for Alabama standards. Fans wanted more of the Nick Saban edge, and after six national championships in Tuscaloosa, Saban’s example looms large.
DeBoer seems to be leaning into that tougher image now, and this season’s results have given him room to do it. Alabama is 5-0, the program’s best start under him, and the Tide led Georgia 14-10 at one point before the game turned late.
Even after the loss, Alabama is still considered a likely CFP team and a national title contender. The change in how the Tide are being perceived has everything to do with a roster that looks tougher and plays with more bite.
That’s where the contradiction lives for DeBoer. First he was too soft. Now he’s getting clipped for being too emotional.
Saban used to boil over on the sideline and in practice, and nobody questions his place in college football history now. If Alabama rides this season into a national championship, this whole emotional-maturity debate around DeBoer probably disappears fast.
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