Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back when he took aim at Kalen DeBoer on ESPN’s “First Take” this week, arguing that Alabama’s coach is already under massive pressure because of the standard left behind by Nick Saban.
“We're talking about the successor of Nick Saban. We're talking 17 seasons, six national titles, nine SEC Championships.
The man went 117-18,” Smith said. “It took about six years to lose eight games.
Kalen DeBoer has lost eight games his first two years there. He's lost four games each season; they were luck to get to the postseason.”
That critique drew a response from SEC Network host Peter Burns, who jumped on social media to push back with DeBoer’s recent résumé.
“There have been over 190+ coaches in FBS over the last three years,” Burns said. “Kalen DeBoer has the 5th most wins and 5th most ranked wins.”
DeBoer’s first two seasons in Tuscaloosa have been productive on paper, even if they’ll always be measured against an impossible benchmark. He followed a near miss at a College Football Playoff berth in his first year with a trip to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in his second.
The numbers are solid, and in some cases historic. DeBoer’s nine wins in 2024 are the most by a first-year Alabama head coach since Frank Thomas in 1931. Across his first two seasons, he has 20 wins, more than any previous Alabama coach managed over the same span.
Still, the frustration around Alabama hasn’t disappeared. A big part of it comes from how the losses have piled up. Four of the eight defeats came against teams that finished one of the last two regular seasons with seven or fewer wins, and the Crimson Tide was not competitive in either of its final two losses of 2025.
The ground game has also been a sore spot. Alabama struggled badly to run the ball for much of 2025, a jarring issue for a program that has produced two Heisman Trophy-winning running backs within the last two decades. DeBoer has won at Sioux Falls, Fresno State and Washington, but in Tuscaloosa, every step is still being judged against the towering standard Saban set over 17 seasons.
In Other News...
Georgia May Have Let The Receiver It Now Needs Walk
Georgias receiver room is once again one of the more interesting questions around Athens, and the timing makes the Anthony Evans story sting a little more. After leaving for Mississippi State following a quiet stretch at Georgia, the former Bulldog has turned into a much more productive target in Starkville, the kind of development that naturally invites second-guessing when a team is trying to replace proven pass catchers and sort out its own depth chart.
For Georgia, the issue is less about one departed player than the broader uncertainty at the position after losing top receivers to the NFL. The Bulldogs are counting on younger options to grow up quickly, but Evans rise elsewhere is a reminder of how thin the margin can be when talent leaves before it fully blossoms, and how much more complicated the position becomes when the answers are still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Finally Addressed The Andrew Buzz Georgia Fans Saw Coming
Andrew Smart is only heading into his freshman year of high school, but the early buzz around Kirby Smarts son has already started to build. Georgia Tech has reportedly extended a scholarship offer, and Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, who spent time on Kirby Smarts staff at Georgia, is expected to join the list soon. It is the kind of recruiting storyline that naturally catches the attention of Georgia fans, especially with a familiar name attached and the long view of what could come next.
Kirby Smart was asked about it at SEC Media Days, where the conversation turned from family pride to the realities of modern recruiting. The Georgia coach made it clear he wants the spotlight dialed back on Andrew for now, which makes sense given how early this all is and how much runway remains before any real decision-making begins. For the Bulldogs, it is another reminder that even a coachs family can get swept into the recruiting machine long before the process should really be going anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Nears Massive Recruiting Swing With Top DB Decision Looming
The clock is ticking on one of Georgias most important 2027 recruiting battles, with four-star defensive back Seth Williams still weighing his options ahead of a July 31 decision. Georgia and Clemson both believe they have a real shot, and for the Bulldogs, the appeal is obvious: Williams would be a major add for a class that needs help at defensive back and could use another boost in the national conversation.
Williams had originally been expected to come off the board earlier in July before pushing his commitment back, a delay that has only sharpened the suspense around where this one is headed. Georgias 2027 group already has just one defensive back committed, so the outcome here carries extra weight for both the class makeup and the way the Bulldogs recruiting haul is viewed heading into the fall. [Read more 🡒]