Stephen A. Smith Sounds Off on Kalen DeBoer and Alabama

Alabama has yet to take the podium at SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida, but the Crimson Tide has already made its way onto national television networks, as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith blasted head coach Kalen DeBoer on Tuesday morning.

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ESPN's First Take held a segment with Stephen A. Smith, Paul Finebaum, and Jordan Rodgers, who all work for the sports media giant, asking who had more pressure on them in 2026: LSU's Lane Kiffin or Alabama's Kalen DeBoer?

Smith went off on Jordan Rodgers in a minute-long rant where Rodgers said Kiffin has more pressure on him in year one in Baton Rouge than DeBoer does in year three in Tuscaloosa.

"We're talking about the successor to Nick Saban. We're talking 17 seasons, six national titles, nine SEC championships; the man went 117-18," Smith said on Tuesday morning. "It took about six years to lose eight games; Kalen DeBoer has lost that many games in his first two years at Alabama.

"He's lost four games each season. They were lucky to get to the postseason. This man is supposed to be about offense; they scored three points [In the Rose Bowl against Indiana]. Paul Finebaum talked about Indiana handing them their lunch money, beating them like they stole something. They waved the white flag. 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] Kelly. Do something. Get rid of him, because he ain't the guy."

Yikes.

Kalen DeBoer has a higher winning percentage in his first two seasons at Alabama than Nick Saban did (DeBoer: 20-8, 71.4%, Saban: 19-8, 70.3%), albeit DeBoer clearly inherited a better roster than what Saban did in 2007. DeBoer's extra win over Saban's 19 came in the College Football Playoff, where Alabama overcame a 17-point deficit to become the first team to win a road CFP game in the 12-team era. The issue for the Crimson Tide has come in its losses, with Alabama losing by an average of 13.8 points across the eight losses.

However, Kalen DeBoer still won nine games in his first season at Alabama, with only one loss coming by multiple scores. In year two, he made the SEC championship game and won a playoff game, but suffered three ugly losses to Florida State, Georgia, and Indiana, a far cry from Jimbo Fisher going 45-25 in six seasons at Texas A&M, where he lost at least four games in all but one season with a 27-21 conference record. It's an even further cry from Brian Kelly going 34-14 with a 19-10 conference record at LSU. Kalen DeBoer holds a 12-4 conference record at Alabama through two seasons.

Furthermore, the notion that Alabama should just "pay him to go away" is ridiculous, as Alabama extended his contract this offseason, increasing his buyout to $67.5 million. DeBoer's contract also does not include a clause to lessen the number for Alabama if DeBoer takes another job elsewhere, meaning the Crimson Tide would be on the hook for the full $67.5 million. His seven-year contract extension raised his annual salary to $12.5 million per year, tying him as the fourth-highest paid coach in the sport with Ryan Day.

As ESPN's highest-paid employee continues to spout his outlandish takes, the network recently laid off four major on-air personalities, including Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Karl Ravech, and Tom Pelissero.

Alabama takes the podium at SEC Media Days tomorrow morning.

Taco Casa is a presenting sponsor of our SEC Media Days coverage live from Tampa, Florida.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.