Kalen DeBoer has another chance to prove himself in 2025.
Kalen DeBoer Lands on Unfortunate List After Underwhelming 2024 Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer's first season with the storied program did not go as planned.
The Alabama head coach found himself on a list detailing the coaches with the most pressure heading into 2025, coming in at No. 7 via On3's Ari Wasserman.
DeBoer had the tough task of replacing legendary head coach Nick Saban and finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record. It was the first time the program had won nine games since 1993, while Saban had only won fewer than 10 games once during his tenure, in the 2007 season (7-6).
The Crimson Tide narrowly missed the 12-team College Football Playoff in DeBoer's first season.
Wasserman is not the only person to weigh in on DeBoer after year one with Alabama.
Paul Finebaum believes that a successful 2025 season for the Crimson Tide would be making the playoff. He also shared his opinion on whether missing the playoff would result in the coach's firing.
Finebaum did not see missing the playoff as a dealbreaker, but noted that the pressure would only increase if so.
Since the CFP was introduced to college football in 2014, former head coach Saban only missed it twice, in 2019 and 2022.
DeBoer is now at an interesting point in his Alabama tenure, following Jalen Milroe's departure for the NFL. Ty Simpson will be the starting quarterback in 2025, with 16 games of experience and no starts.
He won the quarterback over Washington Huskies transfer Austin Mack and former five-star prospect Keelon Russell.
DeBoer's second season with the Crimson Tide starts against the Florida State Seminoles on August 30. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Related: Thomas Castellanos Walks Back Alabama Trash Talk After Being Confronted by Star WR
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: General Sports
