Alabama football coach Kalen BeBoer has been on a tear lately.
DeBoer is currently the head coach of the only program in the nation with five 5-star recruits in the class of 2026 after landing EDGE Xavier Griffin, receiver Cederian Morgan, safety Jireh Edwards and running back Ezavier Crowell since the start of June. Alabama also landed five-star cornerback Jorden Edmonds back in March.
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The Crimson Tide now have the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. Alabama‘s 2025 class is ranked No. 3 by 247Sports and No. 4 by On3/Rivals.
But DeBoer still has to transfer his success on the recruiting trails into the actual on-field product at Alabama. To that end, CBS Sports’ nine-member panel of college football experts got together this week to reveal their annual Hot Seat rankings for 2025.
The panel used a 0-5 scale with 5 representing a coach who must “Win or be fired,” while 0-0.99 makes for a coach considered “Untouchable.” Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney are two such coaches who qualify as “untouchable.”
DeBoer was listed in the category of “All good… for now,” with a rating of 2.33. For comparison, two SEC head coaches who made CBS Sports’ hot seat list with a 4-4.99 ranking (labeled as “Start Improving Now”) were Auburn’s Hugh Freeze and Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.
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In his first season at Alabama following the retirement of Nick Saban, DeBoer guided the Crimson Tide to a 9-4 record, including a thrilling win over Georgia, a blowout at LSU, and a fifth straight Iron Bowl victory over Auburn.
The season didn’t end the way Alabama had hoped, though, with a blowout loss to Oklahoma in November that proved to be just enough to keep the Crimson Tide out of the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Alabama subsequently spent bowl season in Tampa and laid an egg in the Outback Bowl against a Michigan team that was a shell of its 2023 championship self.
DeBoer has a lot of things going right for him entering 2025 — and not just in recruiting. This offseason saw him reunite with longtime offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, whose offense led Washington to the national championship game in DeBoer’s final season in Seattle. Several key players are back for Alabama in 2025 with another year of experience under their belts.
Alabama’s talent on the field is obvious. They’re ranked the No. 2 secondary unit in college football by PFF, while CBS Sports ranked the Crimson Tide’s receiver room with Ryan Williams, Germie Bernhard and Isaiah Horton No. 3 in the nation. ESPN’s Mel Kiper also has three players from Alabama’s 2025 roster as first-round NFL Draft picks next season in his first mock draft.
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DeBoer just has to get the results from having all that talent on the roster, as well as impressive top recruiting classes in both 2025 and ’26 to carry over into wins and College Football Playoff appearances.
Alabama football schedule 2025
Alabama will open the 2025 season against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Aug. 30. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC.
Here’s the rest of the 2025 Alabama schedule with announced start times. All times Central
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Aug. 30: at Florida State, 2:30 p.m., ABC
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Sept. 6: vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 6:45 p.m., SEC Network
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Sept. 13: vs. Wisconsin, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN
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Sept. 27: at Georgia, 6:30 p.m., ABC
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Oct. 4: vs. Vanderbilt, TBA
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Oct. 11: at Missouri, 11 a.m., ABC or ESPN
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Oct. 25: at South Carolina, TBA
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Nov. 8: vs. LSU, prime time
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Nov. 15: vs. Oklahoma, TBA
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Nov. 22 vs. Eastern Illinois, 1 p.m., ESPN+
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer’s job security status, per CBS
