Following Alabama’s shocking loss to Florida State to open the 2025 season, it’s clear that Kalen DeBoer is on the hot seat as the Crimson Tide’s head coach. DeBoer has struggled in his first 14 games at the helm, losing five of those contests.
After the loss to the Seminoles, calls for change intensified, with one analyst criticizing Alabama’s lack of effort under DeBoer, while former Heisman-winning quarterback Johnny Manziel highlighted the program’s loss of its fear factor under his leadership.
Calls for Change Grow as Alabama’s Loss Sparks Criticism From Johnny Manziel and Others
When Nick Saban took over Alabama in 2007, the Crimson Tide quickly became the team to beat in college football. During his tenure, they won nine SEC Championships and six national titles, consistently establishing themselves as the most dominant program in the sport.
One of the biggest things Saban brought to the table was his ability to get consistent effort from his players. No Saban-coached team ever showed a lack of effort on the football field.
In the age of NIL, where players can make millions of dollars, effort shouldn’t have to be forced. However, according to Lance Taylor, host of “The Next Round” radio show, low effort is exactly what he saw from the DeBoer-led Tide in their loss to Florida State, something that shouldn’t be acceptable with the players making money.
Will Alabama bench starters against LA-Monroe after the loss at Florida State? Should they? pic.twitter.com/ppr8bD3VVV
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) September 2, 2025
“If I’m looking at this Alabama team, and we’re talking about these true valuations, oh man, he ain’t earn $2 million,” Taylor said. He later added, “There’s no repercussion to not having effort. In the NFL, if you have lack of effort a couple of times, your ass is going to get cut.”
Taylor is right. DeBoer needs to establish consequences for players who don’t show effort. Alabama was far more talented on paper, yet they were overpowered by the Seminoles in the trenches, which can’t happen at a program like Alabama.
It’s not just effort that is faltering under DeBoer’s leadership. Johnny Manziel also criticized Alabama for losing its fear factor under the head coach.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner explained on the “Nightcap” podcast that under Saban, teams feared playing Alabama, but under DeBoer, every team in the country believes it has a fighting chance against the Crimson Tide.
“This is Bama, the team that’s been a dynasty. The team, you got a little fear,” Manziel said. “That fear aspect of what Alabama is, is completely gone. And nobody’s scared of them boys. Not Vandy, not Kentucky, not nobody.”
Once again, the criticism of DeBoer is fair. The swagger that Alabama teams had under Saban feels gone. It’s something DeBoer must fix if he wants to turn this season around and keep his job in Tuscaloosa.
The good news for DeBoer is that the loss to Florida State came early in the season, leaving plenty of time for adjustments. But as Taylor and Manziel point out, those adjustments need to happen fast.
Alabama and DeBoer have a chance to bounce back from their loss to Florida State on Saturday, September 6, as they continue their 2025 season against LA-Monroe.
