“I’m not a fan of him”: Stephen A. Smith deems Kalen DeBoer unfit as Nick Saban’s successor after disappointing start to his Crimson Tide career

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer led the Crimson Tide to a comprehensive 38-14 win over the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 4 of college football action to continue their resurgence after losing to the Florida State Seminoles in Week 1 action. Next up for the Crimson Tide is a marquee SEC trip to Athens to face off against the Georgia Bulldogs.

DeBoer's Alabama tenure has been punctuated by several highs, including a big win against the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa and a devastating offensive performance against the LSU Tigers in Death Valley last season. It has also been marred by a stunning loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores while the Crimson Tide were three-touchdown favorites.

During Friday's segment of the "First Take," outspoken ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith reiterated his stance that DeBoer was not the right coach to replace Nick Saban when he retired last year.

“He’s not the right — listen, I know the man won at Washington … but I’m not a fan of him at Alabama,” Smith said. “Kalen DeBoer, to me, should not have been the successor to Nick Saban. I threw out a name like Jon Gruden (recently). With Kalen DeBoer, you just don’t see Nick Saban elements in him.”

Cam Newton places Kalen DeBoer on hot seat

Kalen DeBoer has had his ups and downs as the coach of Alabama, but with a 2-6 record away from the Bryant-Denny Stadium, the criticism has come thick and fast from all corners as the Crimson Tide missed out on the SEC championship game and the expanded college football playoffs last season.

During Friday's segment of the "First Take," former NFL star Cam Newton opined that DeBoer would be on the hot seat if he lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 5 action.

“Coach Kalen DeBoer… you have to understand. If you lose this game, you think James Franklin’s seat is gonna get hot … my boy (DeBoer) is gonna be in a volcano somewhere if he loses this one,” Newton said. “I say it once and I’ll say it again, the level of expectation at the University of Alabama is unlike any other school in the nation.

"It’s because coach Nick Saban created a standard not many, even Bear Bryant, only him created. When you start to think about his greatness, he won a National Championship, got doused, and was still in the mood of winning. He was like ‘What’s next?'”

After Alabama's Week 1 loss to the Florida State Seminoles, DeBoer's Crimson Tide has little margin for error for the rest of the season, with the SEC championship game and college football playoffs at stake.