In an appearance on the Pat McAfee show on Wednesday, legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban dropped his most blunt analysis of the Kalen DeBoer era to date.
While acknowledging how difficult a job DeBoer undertook when he decided to retire, Saban didn't hold back by stating that this season was not the expectation at Alabama.
"It's not bad to get the playoffs and finish in the final eight, but not the expectation around here, which is tough to live up to sometimes," Saban said.
Saban was also asked about Alabama not hiring one of his disciples to take over for him when he retired. That question is even more pertinent now, considering all four teams left standing in the College Football Playoff come from the Saban coaching tree.
"I think if somebody was available – I'm not sure anybody was available that they could have maybe gotten to come here."
The top candidates from that coaching tree would have been Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian, and Dan Lanning, all of whom were - and still are - at programs that you just don't leave when things are rolling. They were never realistic candidates.
Neither was Curt Cignetti, the author of Alabama's 35-point demise at the Rose Bowl. Ignoring the fact that Cignetti agreed to become the Indiana coach over a month before Saban retired, can you imagine the outrage among Alabama fans if they had hired the head coach from James Madison?
That was never going to happen. DeBoer was the best coach available, and Greg Byrne delivered him to Tuscaloosa. Results haven't been perfect, but this job was more difficult than many wanted to believe.
Nick Saban's comments might have turned up the heat even more on Kalen DeBoer
Saban made sure to note that Alabama lost 26 players to the Transfer Portal when he made the decision to retire. The portal door only swung one way then, too, with Alabama powerless to replace any of the departures until the spring.
But Saban's comments were the most critical he has been of DeBoer so far. He said he thinks he's a good coach and is doing a good job, but he also made one other statement outside of the expectation comment that was eye-opening.
"I hope they get the ship going in the right direction here."
Heading into his third season at the helm, there's growing pressure on DeBoer. Alabama's five-touchdown Rose Bowl loss, in which they were bullied on both lines of scrimmage, took any good feelings away from Tide fans who were just happy to make the playoff in year two.
Saban's comments only add fuel to the fire. And now the 2026 season has taken on even more importance for DeBoer and the future of the Alabama program.