Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) is tackled by Oklahoma defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings (3) for a loss during the first quarter of a NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Norman, Okla.
There’s a hint of spring in the air this week. Have I been too hard on Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer? The time for regrowth is upon us and the mailbag is heating up.
Son, you weren’t around when Bear Bryant retired. Several coaches came after he retired. All were failures until Gene Stallings was hired. DeBoer will do alright if left alone and negative posts from folks like you don’t help.
As a Bama fan for over 70 years, I have seen some more coaches at Bama. I went to Bama vs Memphis State in 1958, Bear’s first year coaching at Bama. Back then, freshmen couldn’t play in games. He used the same players from the 1957 team that didn’t win a game and had a 5-5 season. Saban is probably the greatest coach in college football history! How do you follow an act like that? You don’t!!
I would appreciate it if you would support coach DeBoer a little more as he has only been at Bama one year.
Had Alabama lost to Missouri, Georgia, and LSU, instead of Vanderbilt, Michigan and Oklahoma, there would not have been such an uproar about the first season. As soon as Saban announced his retirement, the transfer portal opened up and several starting Alabama players left the team for better paydays/cars.
With NIL benefiting teams that have big financial coffers such as Ohio State and Texas, there will probably not be a dynasty like Alabama under Saban again. Winning nine games in the first season and beating Auburn, it could’ve been worse. Don’t back up the moving van yet.
Last season, Alabama’s offensive line was merely a shadow of its former groups. It was inconsistent, short on talent and thin because of injuries. Even if [Ryan] Grubb turns out to be a mastermind as the OC, he won’t be able to load the wagon unless he has the mules … running or passing.
Decades ago as a lad, there was a popular cigarette that employed an ad slogan that espoused a line stating, “It’s what’s up front that counts!” That could be a projection of what Alabama’s offense requires in 2025 to be successful. If that need somehow materializes, Ty Simpson has the skill-set to make things work offensively.
DeBoer and Grubb have to commit to a quarterback who can produce, or be willing to switch when he cannot. When [Jalen] Milroe couldn’t make things happen last season, nobody else was given a fair trial at quarterback. And from what many saw of Milroe at the Senior Bowl, it adds to the mystery of why the Tide could never adjust during a four-loss season.
For those wondering, let me just begin by pointing out that Jerry is not my actual father. I sincerely appreciate being considered part of the family, though. As his adopted son, let me go ahead and thank Jerry in advance for writing me into his will and leaving me his collection of Coach Bryant Coca-Cola bottles.
Critical analysis of an Alabama coach who loses to Vanderbilt isn’t unfair for a sports columnist in the Heart of Dixie, but rather a requirement of the job description. As they say at Alabama, the standard is the standard.
Is it time to lower the standard at Alabama now that college football is in a new era? No chance, so let’s take a closer look at something that’s been stuck in my craw since the first half of the loss to Oklahoma.
If Alabama had enough talent to blow out LSU in Death Valley, then there was more than enough juice on the roster to win at Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. The reason for those losses was a combination of poor preparation by the coaching staff and inconsistent quarterback play by Jalen Milroe.
Maybe those two things are related, but either way I’m not about to start blaming Alabama’s offensive line for all of Milroe’s blunders. With a trip to the playoffs in the balance, why didn’t DeBoer and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan bench Milroe after the first half against Oklahoma?
Was it out of loyalty? Was it fear of being exposed? The most consistent thing about Milroe last season was that when things started to go badly for him they usually got worse. It didn’t take a coaching mastermind to spot the trend. If backups Tyler Simpson and Austin Mack weren’t good enough to come off the bench in 2024, then I’m not convinced they’re the answer for Alabama in 2025.
Auburn went into the portal for a quarterback despite bringing in a highly rated freshman. Alabama could have done the same, but is instead going with Simpson and Mack this spring. If incoming freshman quarterback Keelon Russell wins the job over Simpson and Mack, then expect one or both of those quarterbacks to transfer.
DeBoer should have benched Milroe against Oklahoma in an attempt to save the season. Maybe things would have been different if DeBoer had lieutenant Ryan Grubb by his side. DeBoer and Grubb won a lot of games at Washington with Michael Penix, Jr., playing quarterback, but let’s not forget that it was Sheridan who coached Penix at Indiana before joining DeBoer’s staff in Washington for the 2022 season.
DeBoer goes into spring with Sheridan focusing on quarterbacks once again. That should give Grubb plenty of time to fix the offensive line. Alabama will have a new offense in 2025, and DeBoer deserves the benefit of the doubt based on his teams at Washington. But the pressure cooker is already on high. Alabama needs to find a quarterback combination that can guarantee 10 wins and a trip to the College Football Playoff.
How would you rate the job Coach Hugh Freeze has done in his two years at Auburn?
Freeze got a pass his first two seasons at Auburn based on what he inherited from former coach Bryan Harsin. Harsin was the worst coach in the history of the SEC. The guy ran off Bo Nix and then ran a proud football program into the dirt.
Auburn fans like to call DeBoer the new Harsin, but there’s no comparison.
Give Freeze an ‘A’ for his last two recruiting classes and a C- for the games. Freeze is a better recruiter than anyone on Alabama’s staff, but now it’s time to win and make the College Football Playoff. There’s more pressure on Freeze this spring than DeBoer.
Can Alabama and Auburn football thrive at the same time? The basketball teams are proving that it’s possible in this new era of professional collegiate sports.
