A 20-8 record through two seasons, including a College Football Playoff win in year two, would normally be enough to earn pretty high marks for a coach in a short time on the job.
Not at Alabama.
And especially not when you are replacing the greatest coach in the history of the sport. Such is the burden of Kalen DeBoer, and why he is graded on a different scale than his peers.
CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah handed out grades for all the second-year coaches across the FBS, and DeBoer's grade was middle of the pack.
Jeyarajah gave DeBoer a 'C+', which was a worse grade than coaches like Arizona's Brent Brennan (13-12), Houston's Willie Fritz (14-11), Washington's Jedd Fisch (15-11), Syracuse's Fran Brown (13-12), and even Mississippi State's Jeff Lebby (7-18), all of whom have worse records by far through two seasons than DeBoer at Alabama.
"There were legitimate steps forward in DeBoer's second season -- and serious steps back, Jeyarajah writes. "The Crimson Tide made it back to the SEC title game and CFP, but are still miles away from the national title contender they were under Nick Saban. With a third new QB in three years, DeBoer has to find a new identity."
It would be particularly jarring, if DeBoer read what a CBS writer had to say, to see Fisch get a 'B' grade with five fewer wins at Washington than he has at Alabama, particularly considering Fisch took over a team that had made it a round further than Alabama the previous season when DeBoer was in charge.
But it just goes to show the difference in expectations between Seattle and Tuscaloosa. Jeyarajah's grade may be harsh, but it isn't unfair. In fact, it's probably higher than a lot of Alabama fans would give him.
Kalen DeBoer is entering a pivotal year three at Alabama
It's easy to feel a bit sympathetic for the job undertaken by DeBoer. Following in the footsteps of a titan of the sport is never easy, but it is what he signed up for. DeBoer knew what he was walking into at Alabama. Greg Byrne would have laid that out clearly when they talked about the job.
Year three will be critical for DeBoer. Talks of a contract extension have seemingly stalled, and for likely a good reason. It wouldn't be an easy sell for fans for a coach to get a pay raise and extra security when the season ended with an embarrassing 35-point loss.
It might be a stretch to say DeBoer enters the season on the hot seat in 2026, but he isn't far from it, either. Alabama will have a young team filled with exciting talent, but experience just won a National Championship at Indiana, and the Crimson Tide won't have much of it next season.
That could put Alabama in a bit of a bridge year, one that DeBoer most certainly cannot afford. Anything short of a second straight bid to the College Football Playoff would make things uncomfortable for him at the Capstone. It would serve to reignite conversations about him potentially looking for an off-ramp, or Byrne potentially biting the bullet of a significant buyout.
Or maybe 2026 ends up being the year that DeBoer quiets all the doubters and gets Alabama back into National Championship contention.