ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith didn’t hide where he stands on Alabama’s new era under Kalen DeBoer.
On air, Smith pushed back on the idea that he had dismissed DeBoer outright, but he did make clear the real question in his mind is whether DeBoer was the right man to follow Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa.
“I never said Kalen DeBoer was a bad coach,” Smith said on air. “I know he's a damn good coach. What I said was: ‘Are you the guy to succeed Saban at Alabama?’”
That debate comes just days before Alabama meets Georgia on Saturday night at 7:30 in Tuscaloosa, with ESPN’s corporate partner ABC carrying the game. The matchup is also drawing attention because of Hurricane Isaias, which is approaching Mobile. Forecasting models show the storm passing just west of Bryant-Denny Stadium by lunchtime, leaving the game on track to be played as scheduled.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart offered his own view of the challenge DeBoer faces after stepping into Saban’s place.
“I don't think many coaches in the country would want to go behind the great legend coach he came in behind,” Smart said Wednesday about DeBoer being hired to replace Saban. “That is a tough job with tough expectations, and he's done an incredible job there through his own ways and his own rights.”
DeBoer’s start at Alabama has matched Saban’s through the first 33 games as head coach. DeBoer inherited a team that finished 12-2 and won the SEC in Saban’s final season in 2023.
Saban, by contrast, arrived after Mike Shula’s final season at Alabama, when the Crimson Tide went 6-7. Alabama had not won the SEC in the 10 seasons before Saban took over.
Smith also sounded plenty energized by the Tide’s chances, even as he framed the Georgia game as a proving ground.
“I'm not being critical of Alabama because I'm rooting against them,” he said. “I've always rooted for them brothers for Alabama.
But are we really looking at Alabama to win a national title? They gotta make us believers.
They gotta make us believers. So guess what?
You go play Georgia this week. That's fine.
You beat them last year, so what? What happened when it really counted?
They beat Georgia last year. Did they not beat Georgia last year?
Yes, they did, Alabama. What happened in the SEC championship game?”
Georgia did beat Alabama 28-7 in Atlanta in December. Alabama followed that by knocking out Oklahoma before getting blown out in the Rose Bowl Game by Indiana. Since then, though, the Tide have found a different gear, following back-to-back outings that were not ideal against Kentucky and Florida State with blowout wins over South Carolina and Mississippi State.
ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said Thursday on Pardon the Interruption that “This is the best team DeBoer has had since he's been at Alabama.”
Smart said Georgia’s defense, which allows 244.6 yards per game and ranks No. 8 nationally in total defense, will have to be sharp against an Alabama offense he described as difficult to pin down.
“Really hard to defend because you don't feel like there's a play they don't have,” Smart said of Alabama’s offense. “They’ve got all of them in terms of the plays you have to stop.”
In Other News...
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Georgia Tech is giving Saturdays matchup against Duke a little extra polish, rolling out new Reck Decals on the helmets while pairing them with white tops and grey pants. It is a tidy little uniform twist for a game that already carries real weight, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and a ranked Blue Devils team coming in at No. 23 in the coachs poll after a strong start despite losing key players to Miami.
The Yellow Jackets will need all the edge they can find, because the availability picture is not especially clean. Georgia Tech expects several key defensive players to be in the mix, but it also knows it will be shorthanded in a few spots, leaving the staff to manage depth carefully against a Duke team that has handled adversity well all season. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama-Georgia Suddenly Has One Problem That Could Favor The Bulldogs
The buildup to No. 2 Georgias Week 6 trip to Alabama has been shaped as much by the schedule as by the matchup itself, with the two programs carrying their usual national-title weight into one of the seasons biggest early tests. But a storm system moving toward Tuscaloosa has quietly become part of the conversation, and it has already forced ESPNs College GameDay to move while other games in the region have been postponed or shuffled.
For Georgia, the timing could matter. The Bulldogs have leaned on a run-first identity, and sloppy conditions would naturally push the game toward shorter, more physical football. Alabama, meanwhile, is built to stress defenses through the air, so any weather that makes the field heavy and the wind a factor could complicate how the Crimson Tide want to attack, turning an already compelling SEC showcase into a different kind of test. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Faces A New Problem As Duke Game Stays On
Georgia Techs trip through a stormy week got a little clearer, even if the forecast still hangs over Saturdays matchup with Duke. The game is still set to go on as scheduled despite the expected effects of Hurricane Isaias, but the Yellow Jackets have already had to trim the pregame experience, with the usual buildup around Bobby Dodd Stadium giving way to a more stripped-down operation.
Inside the lines, the weather could end up shaping the evening as much as the opponent does. Passing conditions and the ground game both figure to be part of the conversation, and Georgia Tech is also navigating its own injury situation, with some key players unavailable while others are trending toward a return. [Read more 🡒]