Kalen DeBoer’s first season at Alabama didn’t go exactly as planned as the team finished 9-4 with a ReliaQuest Bowl loss to Michigan. But, he knows what comes next in 2025. The Crimson Tide have to be better fast to measure up to the Alabama standard.

Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Alabama football’s head coach didn’t meet expectations. There’s plenty of places where a nine-win season and a bowl appearance would be cause for celebration under a new coach, but Tuscaloosa isn’t one of them, especially after Nick Saban’s tenure.

MOBILE, Ala. — Kalen DeBoer knows Alabama football has to be better. Standing outside of Hancock Whitney Stadium for the 2025 Senior Bowl, the Alabama football coach harkened back to his expectation for the Crimson Tide when he first took the job: to perform at a championship level.