Joel Klatt: Alabama has to bounce back in Year 2 of Kalen DeBoer era

The Alabama Crimson Tide were among the most consistently dominant teams during the Nick Saban era. Now, going into year two under Kalen DeBoer, Alabama is looking to bounce back from what proved to be a down season in his first year with the program.

Expectations are high for Alabama this season, even after what had been a relatively down year for the program. For his part, Joel Klatt has the Crimson Tide ranked ninth in his preseason Top 25. He broke down those rankings on The Joel Klatt Show, explaining that Alabama needs to take a step forward in Kalen DeBoer’s second season with the program.

“I’m going to go with Alabama, partly because they have to,” Joel Klatt said. “They have to. They have to bounce back. Year two for Kalen DeBoer. Bama failed last year to win 10 games for the first time since 2007. So, DeBoer’s got his work cut out for him.”

Kalen DeBoer came to Alabama from Washington, where he had taken the Huskies to the College Football Playoff and played for a national championship. In his first season with Alabama, however, DeBoer went just 9-4, missing the SEC Championship and the expanded Playoff.

“This is not a program that’s just going to wait around for DeBoer. Now, DeBoer is an outstanding coach. He has won everywhere that he has been. He also has won everywhere that he’s been,” Klatt said. “In large part due to the fact that his offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, has been with him. He was not there last year, but he’s coming back and they will be joined again. They spent eight years together at other stops. Now, they’re back together. I think that’s going to help them out. It’s going to help Ty Simpson out, who’s slated to be their quarterback. We’ll see how good he is. He’s a former five-star. He’s been waiting three years for his chance to play.”

Ty Simpson is widely regarded as the next starting quarterback at Alabama. However, Kalen DeBoer has kept the battle open alongside Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Regardless of who wins the job, though, there’s going to be plenty of talent around them on the Crimson Tide roster.

“They’re going to have stars all over the field. Bama is loaded with talent. We all know that,” Klatt said. “Ryan Williams is one of the best players in the country. [Germie] Bernard is also one of the best players out there. I love Kadyn Proctor. He was a top 10 player for me. I love their center, Parker Brailsford. These guys can play. On defense, LT Overton, Tim Keenan, Deontae Lawson. This is a defense that was top 10 in the country for Kane Wommack, their defensive coordinator, a year ago. They should be fine.”

There are 12 spots available for the College Football Playoff next season. It’s not an easy path to get there. However, Klatt expects Alabama to get there. If they don’t, fans could begin to get restless.

“Now, the schedule is tough. They play at Georgia in their SEC opener. They’ve got to play at South Carolina and Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Then, they’ve got home games against LSU and Oklahoma. Bottom line is this. Kalen DeBoer has to win at Alabama. Alabama got used to a level of success that no program has ever achieved in the history of the sport. So, you can’t just in your first two years have subpar years,” Klatt said. “Where you’re missing the Playoff or not playing for the SEC Championship Game. At a minimum, this program has to go to the Playoff. That’s just kind of how it is. I don’t think that’s egregious or too much to ask. This team and this roster should get there.”

Alabama opens the 2025 season on the road with a game against Florida State on August 30th. After that, they’ll return home for a pair of non-conference games before returning to the road for their first SEC game against Georgia.