Stephen A. Smith Puts Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer on Notice Ahead of LSU Showdown

The Alabama Crimson Tide still control their own destiny in the College Football Playoff race.

The selection committee ranked them No. 5 in its first rankings this week, making them the highest-ranked two-loss team in the country. However, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith isn’t buying it.

Alabama visits No. 14 LSU on Saturday in a game with major playoff implications for both teams. Smith isn’t sure head coach Kalen DeBoer is the guy to get it done though. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes take a big hit in Baton Rouge.

Stephen A. Smith Doesn’t Trust Kalen DeBoer in Big Games

Smith made his case on ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday, pointing to how Alabama has fared in big games under DeBoer.

“We always sit up there and crown Alabama,” Smith said. “Every time there’s limited expectations, they rise to the occasion. When they have lofty expectations in the Kalen DeBoer era, they disappoint us.

“They got boat-raced by Indiana in the playoffs — they waved the white flag. They got their a— kicked in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. Come into this year, it was a thriller against Georgia but they lost that on their home turf. … then Tennessee boat-raced them. They got two losses, a third loss should put them in a position where they miss the playoffs.

“Their playoff hopes are on the line, as far as I’m concerned. I think Lane Kiffin is going to have these boys ready at LSU and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they won this game.”

The numbers back him up.

Alabama closed last season with a 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, then got blown out 38-3 by eventual national champion Indiana in the Rose Bowl — the program’s most lopsided loss since 1998.

This year, the Crimson Tide opened by scoring 45-plus points in each of their first five games. Then they fell 20-17 to Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium and 26-10 at Tennessee the following week, losing back-to-back regular-season games for the first time since 2007. Alabama managed just 201 total yards and turned it over four times in Knoxville.

Stephen A. Smith Isn’t Backing Down on DeBoer

This isn’t a new stance from Smith either.

He has been one of DeBoer’s loudest critics since the coach took over for Nick Saban in 2024. At SEC Media Days in July, Smith said DeBoer isn’t “the guy” to lead Alabama and suggested the school “give him the money to just go away.”

When DeBoer matched Saban’s 25-8 record through 33 games in October, Smith still didn’t budge.

“Not a d— bit,” Smith said about what his record meant. “Means nothing to me. Nothing.”

Earlier this week, he even called for an investigation into why Alabama handed DeBoer a contract extension last year.

To be fair, Alabama has bounced back since the Tennessee loss. The Crimson Tide scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Texas A&M 31-20 two weeks ago. Quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns.

LSU is a 5.5-point favorite at home, and the Tigers have been tough at Tiger Stadium (5-0). They will be without star linebacker Whit Weeks, though, who is expected to miss the game as he works back from a fractured leg.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

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