Kalen DeBoer's Alabama received some sharp comments from Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos in the offseason, who said the Crimson Tide no longer have Nick Saban to bail them out. What seemed like preseason chatter became reality when DeBoer's No. 8 Alabama fell to unranked FSU (31-17) on Saturday.On ESPN’s Get Up, Dan Orlovsky criticized Alabama’s dismal performance against the Seminoles, who had gone 2-10 in 2024."If Nick Saban watched this tape back yesterday, he would kick some of these kids off the team," Orlovsky said. "That's how bad it was, and Alabama's problem is their controllables. You watch this defense run to the football and you're like, where is the effort to the ball?"The angles to the ball, the tackling to the ball. It's not a talent issue. It's a controllables issue. When you watch this tape, they look like a shell of what Nick Saban had built them to become when it comes to effort and toughness and desire. They look like a shell of it."Saturday’s loss also snapped Alabama’s streak of 23 consecutive season-opening wins. It marked a rough start for DeBoer, who is still under the massive shadow of Saban, who retired 18 months ago.However, DeBoer remains optimistic about his players.“These guys are great kids, they’re high character," DeBoer said (via AL.com). "They want it bad. It’s just showing them. A lot of times they already know. Making sure we continue to be intentional.”Stephen A. Smith questions Kalen DeBoer’s ability at AlabamaKalen DeBoer took the reins at Alabama after guiding Washington to the national championship game. Following a 9-4 finish in his first season with the Crimson Tide, fans were expecting a strong rebound in 2025.However, after Alabama fell to Florida State on Saturday, analyst Stephen A. Smith did not hold back in criticizing DeBoer on Monday’s episode of "First Take."“I don’t believe in this man,” Smith said (per On3). “I just don’t. I’m not in any way implying that the man can’t coach. I know he’s won everywhere he’s been.“But, he’s the successor to Nick Saban. And what Nick Saban established in terms of culture, it’s gone. These guys are soft compared to the teams we saw coached by Nick Saban.”Kalen DeBoer and Alabama will look to recover against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.