Kalen DeBoer gives Alabama football offseason update at Senior Bowl
Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer spoke about Ryan Grubb, Jason Jones and many other topics during a visit to the 2025 Senior Bowl.
Pressure’s on in the state of Alabama football, but for different reasons.
Kalen DeBoer knows the Alabama standard creates a playoff-or-bust mentality. That means his debut season goes down as a bust and ratchets up the pressure on his second season.
At Auburn, the Tigers last tasted a winning season when Gus Malzahn coached the team. Hugh Freeze’s buyout is manageable.
On this edition of “SEC Football Unfiltered,” a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams debate which of the two coaches in the Iron Bowl rivalry faces more pressure this season, with the hosts offering diverging opinions.
Toppmeyer questions each team’s quarterback situation, while Adams feels some comfort in Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold, but he’s not sold on Alabama’s trigger man.
Does Kalen DeBoer or Hugh Freeze face more pressure in 2025?
Adams: DeBoer faces more pressure. It’s Alabama. The Tide expect national championships, and DeBoer didn’t come close last season. Actually, he lost to Vanderbilt. It doesn’t help DeBoer sees his predecessor, Nick Saban, every time he flips on the TV. Just imagine if DeBoer misses the playoff for a second straight season, or – Lord, help him – he loses the Iron Bowl. Alabama fans will help him pack for Washington.
Toppmeyer: Freeze faces more pressure, because his buyout is tens of millions of dollars cheaper than DeBoer’s. Auburn could stomach Freeze’s buyout as easily as a shot of fine liquor. DeBoer’s contract should buy him at least three seasons — although, I might reconsider if he loses the Iron Bowl. Auburn has suffered through four straight losing seasons, including two on Freeze’s watch. Fans on the Plains are desperate for a good season. Freeze enters 2025 in win-or-be-fired mode now. His buyout won’t save him. Only wins can.
Earlier in the episode
∎ The hosts examine the SEC’s basketball uprising, highlighted by Auburn, Florida, Alabama and Tennessee. Toppmeyer lists two of those four among his favorites to win the national championship.
Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
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