Stephen A. Smith blasts Kalen DeBoer’s tenure at Alabama: ‘Give him the money to just go away’

Stephen A. Smith does not believe Kalen DeBoer can get the job done at Alabama. While appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday, Smith said that DeBoer is not “the guy” to lead the Crimson Tide going forward. “We’re talking about the successor to Nick Saban. We’re talking in 17 seasons, six national titles, nine SEC championships. The man went 117-18,” Stephen A. Smith said when comparing Saban to DeBoer. It took about six years to lose eight games. Kalen DeBoer has lost that many games in his first two years. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] “He’s lost four games each season. They were lucky to get to the postseason. …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 [Brian] Kelley. Do something. Get rid of him because he ain’t the guy.” DeBoer made his debut with Alabama in 2024 and went 9-4 and 5-3 in SEC play. Last year, DeBoer went 11-4 and 7-1 in the conference. The fourth loss was in the playoffs, when Alabama lost to Indiana, who went on to win the national title. Comparing Kalen DeBoer and Nick Saban’s first two seasons at Alabama In Saban’s first season at Alabama (2007), the team went 7-6. The following year, the Crimson Tide finished 12-2 and played in the SEC title game. DeBoer had the challenge of replacing Saban, who, as Smith mentioned, won six national championships and nine conference titles. But the Alabama head coach is likely staying put since he’s won 20 games in his first two seasons, which is just as many as Saban (19 before five wins were vacated from the 2007 season). That said, the pressure is on DeBoer and Alabama to make a run at the national championship game. On First Take, Paul Finebaum said DeBoer is facing more pressure than LSU head coach Lane Kiffin after suffering a brutal loss to Indiana last year. “The last time we saw Kalen DeBoer on a football field, he had his lunch money stolen by (Indiana‘s) Curt Cignetti. It was one of the most – forget one of the most, it was the most embarrassing loss in Alabama history,” Finebaum said. “He lost by 35 points at the Rose Bowl, his team waved the white flag, and that memory has not gone away. And if he doesn’t get back (to the Playoffs), his fanbase will be angry.”