Stephen A. Smith, Chris Fowler discuss Alabama in Year 2 under Kalen DeBoer
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The sudden retirement of legendary Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban sent shockwaves through the sport when it was announced in March 2024, and the subsequent hiring of then-Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer raised immediate concerns over whether he would be able to fill such massive shoes.
Year 1 of the DeBoer era, while moderately successful for most first-year head coaches at any other spot, fell well short of the lofty standards that come with coaching in Tuscaloosa, as the Tide finished with a disappointing 9-4 record.
This has led to the pressure and expectations for DeBoer in year two growing even higher, as many pundits have picked Bama to not only make the College Football Playoffs, but win it all in 2025.
ESPN’s Chris Fowler recently sat down with Stephen A. Smith to discuss his thoughts on where things stand for DeBoer this season.
While he didn’t make any lofty national title prediction for year two, he did say he feels like the Tide feels good about where they stand heading into this season.
“They feel good,” Fowler said. “I mean, DeBoer has won everywhere he’s been, and he’s not in year one anymore trying to follow Saban, which is an impossible job. I think that Ty Simpson is going to be steadier at quarterback, maybe than Jalen Milroe, I mean, he has to still play well or they’re not going to get through that schedule, but I like the Tide this year.”
Fowler makes a ton of very good points in his breakdown, and it’s hard to argue that Alabama isn’t still a very formidable team on paper.
Whether DeBoer can manage to put all the pieces together and avoid the pitfalls he suffered in Year 1, though, will determine how far they actually make it in 2025.
