Assessing the first two seasons of Kalen DeBoer's tenure at Alabama is a challenge for many in the college football media landscape.DeBoer progressed from a narrow miss at a College Football Playoff bid in his first season to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in his second. However, DeBoer's success will always be judged on a harsher scale because of who he succeeded when he took the job in Tuscaloosa.Stephen A. Smith is among those who believe DeBoer is in desperate need of a deep College Football Playoff run. He delivered a harsh diatribe about the pressure surrounding DeBoer in 2026 on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday."We're talking about the successor of Nick Saban. We're talking 17 seasons, six national titles, nine SEC Championships. The man went 117-18," Smith said. "It took about six years to lose eight games. Kalen DeBoer has lost eight games his first two years there. He's lost four games each season; they were luck to get to the postseason."In the hours after Smith's rant, SEC Network host Peter Burns took to social media to defend DeBoer, citing his accomplishments over the last three seasons."There have been over 190+ coaches in FBS over the last three years," Burns said. "Kalen DeBoer has the 5th most wins and 5th most ranked wins."Why is controversy surrounding DeBoer in 2026?Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer speaks in a press conference after the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectAs Smith alluded to, DeBoer became the successor to a reign that featured six national championships and only one season with fewer than 10 wins in 2024. DeBoer had no issue winning at Sioux Falls, Fresno State and Washington, but the precedent set by Saban in his 17-year tenure is impossible for any future Alabama coach to live up to.The nine victories DeBoer scored in 2024 are the most by a first-year Alabama head coach since Frank Thomas in 1931. DeBoer has won a combined 20 games in his first two seasons on the job, more than any previous Alabama coach has in his first two seasons.While the overall record is fine, the way Alabama has suffered its losses is a cause of frustration. Four of the eight losses are against teams that finished one of the last two regular seasons with seven or fewer wins, and the Crimson Tide was downright uncompetitive in each of its final two losses of 2025.The run game is also a point of frustration surrounding DeBoer's tenure at Alabama. The Crimson Tide was incompetent on the ground for much of 2025, an unfathomable reality for a program that boasts two Heisman Trophy-winning running backs within the last two decades.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow