Such is the burden of Kalen DeBoer, and why he is graded on a different scale than his peers. CBS Sports' Shehan Jeyarajah handed out grades for all the second-year coaches across the FBS, and DeBoer's grade was middle of the pack. "The Crimson Tide made it back to the SEC title game and CFP, but are still miles away from the national title contender they were under Nick Saban. Kalen DeBoer is entering a pivotal year three at AlabamaIt's easy to feel a bit sympathetic for the job undertaken by DeBoer. Or maybe 2026 ends up being the year that DeBoer quiets all the doubters and gets Alabama back into National Championship contention.