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Former Alabama Star Gives Kalen DeBoer 'B-' Grade For 2024
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01/27/2025 10:12 PM
Kalen DeBoer put Alabama fans through a wide range of emotions last season.
Replacing the retired Nick Saban, DeBoer led the Crimson Tide to a 9-4 finish. What that record would constitute a success for most first-year head coaches, it marked Alabama's most losses in a season since Saban started his legendary run in 2007.
On his latestAlways College Football podcast, Greg McElroy graded college football's new head coaches in 2024. While the former Alabama quarterback saw plenty of positives, he gave DeBoer a "B-" following a "roller-coaster" campaign.
"I think that they were remarkably inconsistent from start to finish," McElroy said (h/t On3). "Almost on a week-to-week basis, you'd watch him, you'd say, 'Wow, that's the way it's supposed to look.' And then you'd watch and be like, 'My goodness, what was that?' There were levels of inconsistency that were really hard to wrap your head around."
Alabama began DeBoer's coaching tenure with a 63-0 win over Western Kentucky, but McElroy felt they looked "awful" against South Florida in Week 2. After dominating Wisconsin on the road, the Crimson Tide made a major statement by defeating Georgia on Sept. 28.
However, Alabama followed that massive victory with a stunning loss to Vanderbilt. Two weeks later, the SEC squad fell to Tennessee.
Just when the Crimson Tide seemed to get back on track, they lost 24-3 at Oklahoma. That game thwarted their College Football Playoff pursuit, and they ended the season with a 19-13 loss to Michigan in the Reliaquest Bowl.
McElroy believes the Michigan defeat was a tougher blow than most people think.
"Had he won the bowl game against Michigan, I think this could have taken this grade and to a different level," McElroy said. "I also think you need to look at the penalties. I need to look at the amount of scrutiny that this team is, naturally, always going to receive. But overall, year one grade for Kalen DeBoer, I'm giving him a B-."
That may seem like a poor grade for a straight-A student like Alabama, but McElroy noted that DeBoer faced a "mass exodus" of talent through the transfer portal. Players such as Caleb Downs and Isaiah Bond left after Saban retired.
"Still getting nine wins, I think, is something to be commended."
Related: Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer On 'Scorching Hot Seat' In 2025