Joel Klatt ‘dumbfounded and panicked’ as Alabama collapse sparks fears of disastrous 2025 season

No. 8-ranked Alabama lost 31-17 to unranked Florida State on Sunday in Week 1. The Crimson Tide entered the game favored by almost two touchdowns. However, after a strong start, they couldn’t run the ball effectively, nor could they stop Florida State’s rushing attack.

College football analyst Joel Klatt talked about the loss on Monday.

“If I’m Alabama, I’m panicked,” Klatt said. “I’m not worried about Texas. I’m not worried about Clemson. I’m not worried about Notre Dame. All three of those teams lost. I am dumbfounded and panicked about Alabama.”

NCAA Football: Alabama at Florida State - Source: Imagn

While the Crimson Tide tried to claw its way back in the second half, Klatt said the team was physically outplayed throughout the game. He added that the program showed poor effort and looked nothing like the powerhouse it has been for the past 15 years.

“Where was the effort?” Klatt said. “Where was the pride? This was a program that had the best players in the sport playing as if their life depended on it, for 15 years.

"They would play like they were desperate for their next breath of air. They played hard – hard – all the time, because that was the standard. That Alabama team on Saturday? That was a shell of its former self. Where was the effort? Like, where was the pride?”

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Joel Klatt is concerned about Alabama's coaching decisions during the game

Joel Klatt did not place much blame on the new starting quarterback, Ty Simpson, who spent much of the game under pressure. He criticized the team’s offensive and defensive lines, saying they were subjugated throughout the game.

He also questioned the coaching decisions, for instance, the decision to play receiver Ryan Williams almost exclusively in the slot, where he took repeated hits and eventually couldn’t finish the game because of injury.

“Why is Ryan Williams all of a sudden in the slot? Ryan Williams is an elite outside receiver – elite. When he’s in space, not many people in the country can cover him, if any.

"To that point, he only took 20% of his snaps last year in the slot – 20%. On Saturday, 90% of his snaps were in the slot. Going over the middle, in order to get hit? No wonder he got beat up so bad. He couldn’t affect the game because he was in the slot. I was shocked.”

Klatt was also concerned that the program lost to Florida State, which went 2-10 last season. Unlike matchups like Clemson vs. LSU or Texas vs. Ohio State, this wasn’t a heavyweight contest.

The analyst sees big trouble for Kalen DeBoer’s team if Sunday’s showing becomes a trend. With games against Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina and Auburn still on their schedule, he said:

“This could very easily, very easily, be a four-loss team. Very, very easily a four-loss team, maybe five.”

He added that this kind of showing isn’t normal for the Tide and that if things don’t change soon, the program might be in trouble.

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