Kalen DeBoer might not make it to the end of the 2025 college football season as the head coach at Alabama. Boosters are already starting to get antsy.
Meanwhile, Crimson Tide players are meeting amongst themselves, by themselves.
It will be fascinating to see how quickly things unravel if the losses (and uninspiring wins) continue to pile up over the next few weeks. The entire college football world has its eyes on Tuscaloosa.
Alabama players met without coaches.
Players-only meetings are a weekly occurrence at Alabama. However, they are typically reserved for the days leading up to their next game.
According to senior tight end Josh Cuevas, this latest meeting was not scheduled.
“Even if we have it in the locker room or something, we bring everybody together and we talk it out,” he said. “Nobody is uncomfortable to kind of call anybody out or do something like that. That’s just an example of the team culture.”
Germie Bernard agrees.
“I think it’s just holding each other accountable,” said the senior wide receiver. “It’s never a confrontation. We all love each other. We all want the best for each other. But we’re not gonna allow one guy to stop us from getting to our goals. So holding each other accountable, that’s what it’s gonna take. Being able to be on your brother, yell at your brother if you need to. They all know it’s all love at the end of the day.”
Regardless of how everybody feels about the players-only meeting, an unplanned players-only meeting is never a good sign. Nor is a demoralizing loss to Florida State.
Will Kalen DeBoer survive?
I personally consider Kalen DeBoer to be one of the best coaches in college football. It was always going to be a disaster if the coach who followed Nick Saban did not win as often as his predecessor.
Alabama fans are spoiled. They are not sure what to do when they lose. The world starts to burn.
With that being said, one high-level of the highest-level Crimson Tide boosters told On3 that this frustration toward the head coach and his team goes much deeper.
“We’re spoiled, always have been,” he said. “But when we put a team out there that looks uninspired like we have far too many times these past two years and lose to teams that we’re clearly more talented than, that’s when it becomes a problem … and not just a bunch of spoiled fans griping.”
The hands of boosters are hovering over the panic button. They are ready to act if Alabama does not return to glory as soon as possible. They expect the College Football Playoff. Anything less won’t do.
As crazy as it is to speculate on DeBoer’s future after just 14 games, it is a legitimate storyline to watch. The Crimson Tide’s money men are prepared to raise the $70 million buyout if necessary.