Following his first season in Tuscaloosa, ESPN harshly criticizes Kalen DeBoer, the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

On Wednesday, ESPN revealed their grades for 2024 first-year head coaches and they weren’t too kind to Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.

DeBoer, who replaced Nick Saban as the Crimson Tide’s head coach in early 2024, led Alabama to a 9-4 record in his first season in Tuscaloosa.

The Crimson Tide beat Georgia early in the season, but losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma prevented Alabama from reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff.

DeBoer and the Tide ended the season with a loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg graded DeBoer’s first season at Alabama as a C-.

Rittenberg pointed out that Alabama was 115th in the nation in penalties while calling the bowl game loss to Michigan “inexcusable”.

DeBoer’s first season at Alabama was definitely a drop off from what Crimson Tide fans grew accustomed to during the Nick Saban era, but that doesn’t mean his tenure in Tuscaloosa is doomed.

It was never realistic to expect DeBoer to pick up where Saban left off. Year one of the post-Saban era was always going to an adjustment period for the program regardless of who took over. DeBoer has a strong track record as a head coach. Once DeBoer settles in at Alabama, which should be in 2025, there’s little reason to doubt that he can get the Tide back to the playoff.