Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back when Kalen DeBoer came up during a First Take segment from SEC Media Days in Tampa this week.
With Paul Finebaum and Jordan Rodgers joining Smith on the show, the discussion turned to which coach was under more pressure in 2026: Alabama’s DeBoer or LSU’s Lane Kiffin. Smith used the moment to unload on DeBoer’s start in Tuscaloosa.
“He's lost four games each season,” Smith said. “They were lucky to get to the postseason.
This man is supposed to be about offense - they scored three points. Paul Finebaum [is] talking about Indiana handed them their lunch money.
They beat them like they stole something. They waved the white flag.
“You've got Alabama fans talking about buying the man out. Give him the money just to go away.
Call him Jimbo Fisher, call him, you know, (Brian) Kelly. Do something.
Get rid of him because he ain't the guy.”
The blast fit the tone Smith has taken before on DeBoer, whose early run at Alabama has already drawn plenty of scrutiny. Smith was a loud backer of the Crimson Tide during the Nick Saban era when it suited him, but his patience with the current coach appears to be thin.
For Alabama, the noise isn’t going away anytime soon. Smith and Finebaum aren’t making decisions in Tuscaloosa, but they are amplifying a conversation that keeps growing louder.
And there is a reason for that. It’s not just the number of losses. It’s the way they’ve happened.
Two of Alabama’s defeats last season came in the postseason against Georgia and Indiana, and both were lopsided enough to raise real questions. The Tide also opened with a loss to Florida State, and in 2024 they dropped games to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt that never should have gotten away.
That’s the part sticking with people. Not simply that Alabama has lost, but that it has looked flat and out of sorts in some of the biggest moments.
DeBoer isn’t being measured against a normal standard, either. Nobody is expected to match what Nick Saban did over 17 years, because that kind of run isn’t coming back. But the bar at Alabama is still brutal, and the doubts won’t disappear until DeBoer gives people a reason to stop asking questions.
There’s no hot-seat panic yet, especially after the contract extension Greg Byrne gave him this offseason. Still, the pressure point is obvious: year three has to show real progress.
It doesn’t have to end with a championship. It does need to look like the kind of season that points toward one soon.
Until then, the chatter will keep coming.
In Other News...
Alabamas Quarterback Battle Just Took A Telling Turn Before The Season
Ryan Coleman-Williams used his time at the 2026 SEC Media Days to offer a clear view of Alabamas quarterback room, and it was the kind of update that usually says as much about the competition as it does about the players. He came away sounding confident in both Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, pointing to Macks command of the offense and Russells ability to absorb the system quickly while still flashing playmaking traits.
For Alabama, the encouraging part is that the conversation around the position has shifted from uncertainty to trust in two different skill sets. Coleman-Williams said he is behind whichever quarterback the coaches pick for the season, which fits the bigger picture in Tuscaloosa right now: the staff has options, the locker room appears aligned, and the final call still carries real weight for how the offense takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Star Ryan Coleman-Williams Makes Jersey Change About Legacy
A small jersey tweak can carry a lot of meaning in Tuscaloosa, and Ryan Coleman-Williams made his own adjustment with that in mind. The Alabama wide receiver changed the name on the back of his jersey from Williams to Coleman-Williams, a move meant to reflect his full birth name and bring his family legacy more clearly into view. He also switched from No. 2 to No. 1, the number he wore in high school, adding another personal touch to a change rooted in identity as much as football.
The timing fits with a broader conversation inside the program about what players want to leave behind, after a team meeting with Nick Saban centered on legacy. For Coleman-Williams, the decision was tied to family history and the weight of carrying the Coleman name forward, a detail that gives the uniform change a little more resonance than the usual offseason number swap. It is the kind of move that says something about where a player feels he comes from, even before he makes his next catch. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoer Just Zeroed In On Alabamas Biggest Offensive Problem
Alabamas offseason conversation has centered on the same place it so often does when the Crimson Tide want to get back to their standard: the line of scrimmage. At SEC Media Days, Kalen DeBoer made it clear the staff is putting a premium on getting the rushing offense moving again in 2026, a priority that carries extra weight after a 2025 season in which Alabamas ground game never really found traction.
The numbers told the story, with the Tide averaging just 3.25 yards per rush and landing near the bottom of both the SEC and the national rushing charts. Alabama is hoping the answer comes from two directions at once, with current backs taking another step forward and incoming offensive line help giving the run game a better foundation, but the real test will be whether those pieces turn emphasis into production. [Read more 🡒]