It’s been a year since Kalen Deboer touched down after the Alabama fans weathered the storm. Nick Saban‘s shocking resignation had them shell-shocked, and they had high hopes for their new coach. After all, they bagged a coach who came into their fold on the heels of a 12-0 regular season in Washington. Many expected a similar miracle. But it seems those fragments of imagination are slowly decaying, as many are now asking a bold question: will he survive the axe in 2025?

Similar discourse a year back would have landed you in hot waters, as many believed in DeBoer’s pass-heavy style of offense. But a 9-4 record must have disappointed you. While you can list Jalen Milroe’s faltering performances, you can also point out that a loss to Vanderbilt comes with no excuses. So, where is it all heading? Jake Crain sees it ending on a bad note for DeBoer.

Crain appeared in the latest segment of his podcast ‘Crain and Company’ where they talked about the recent rumors of Bill Belichick and his future in college football. The podcast host drew stark comparisons between Belichick and DeBoer, as the former had to build everything from scratch at UNC, whereas DeBoer inherited an Alabama team that was at the top. What’s the eventual result?

Crain said, “Kalen DeBoer is going to a machine that was already built. That there’s no way you can run it better than it was run. And I think it’s going to cost him in the long run.”

However, everything is not bleak for the Crimson Tide. If the 9-4 season worried you about their future, then you can look at their transfer portal business and make an estimate again. He has gone the Ohio State route. How? DeBoer paid heavily to keep the likes of Ryan Williams. The Buckeyes did the same with their roster, which cost them $20 million. What’s more? You can always try to give DeBoer a longer rope, as instilling culture takes a long time.

Kalen DeBoer: molding Alabama team in his fold

Alabama fans raised banners about the same thing: Milroe’s lack of offensive outbursts failed to set the offense going. The counterclaim was simple: DeBoer never had the QB of his choice. Now, he faces the dilemma of picking either Keelon Russell or Austin Mack. Will he start a veteran in Mack or a 5-star freshman in Russell? You can throw Ty Simpson into the mix and hope that you don’t have to make the call yourself. The choice might fix the true QB issue that hindered their progress last season.

Then there are new signings. The transfer portal ensured DeBoer had a solid 43 commits. But it’s the quality you should focus on. It has 6 five-stars, a staggering 24 four-stars, and 12 three-stars. This huge influx might be needed to give DeBoer his team so that he doesn’t have to go ahead with the parts that Saban had assembled. Will it pay dividends? That remains to be seen.