"We can't be hesitant early on": Kalen DeBoer sounds alarm after Alabama’s stunning season-opening loss

Kalen DeBoer was hired as Nick Saban's successor after a 25-3 record at Washington. In his first season with Alabama in 2024, DeBoer stumbled with a 40-35 loss against an underwhelming school like Vanderbilt.

DeBoer managed to restore some optimism by finishing the season 9-4. However, the No. 8 Crimson Tide faltered in their 2025 opener on Saturday, falling 31-17 to an unranked Florida State program that went just 2-10 the year before.

In his postgame conference, DeBoer offered a straightforward assessment of what went wrong.

"The name of the game is, we can't be hesitant early on," DeBoer said via SI.com. "We've got to start faster in all ways. We gave them hope and confidence in the first half there and then what it does is, it puts you in a spot where you've got to be perfect.

"The stress on the guys to make every play becomes greater and greater. I choose to believe we've got a good football team, but we can't play on our heels. We're not going to be what we think we can be, what we want to be if that's the case and so that falls on everyone," he added.

NCAA Football: Alabama at Florida State - Source: Imagn

Alabama opened Saturday with a 17-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but after that, the run game stalled and the Tide couldn’t sustain their early momentum and ultimately lost the game.

Next up, Alabama heads back to Tuscaloosa for a game with Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

Paul Finebaum reacts to Kalen DeBoer's mounting pressure after Alabama loss

Kalen DeBoer holds one of the largest buyouts in college football, valued at around $63 million, according to CBS Sports. If Alabama were to dismiss him without cause, he would still be entitled to 90% of the remaining value of his contract.

Following Alabama’s shocking season-opening loss, the buyout conversation has intensified, and ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum addressed the situation on SportsCenter Sunday.

"He had built up tremendous goodwill in the offseason. People believed in him after failing to believe in him at the end of last season. But there’s no escaping it,” Finebaum said via On3.com.

“You started hearing words last night like ‘hot seat,’ ‘buyout,’ which by the way is $70 million. So it was get to the playoffs or bust, and right now he lost a golden opportunity, because he has about seven or eight tougher games than he had yesterday. His path is very narrow, and his hot seat is very scorching," he added.

Meanwhile, SiriusXM College Sports Radio host Dari Nowkhah mentioned potential replacements for DeBoer, including Jimbo Fisher and Jon Gruden.