Alabama lost in the playoff on New Year’s Day to Indiana.
Yes, the Hoosiers.
Yes, the FOOTBALL HOOSIERS.
Indiana has become a monster under Curt Cignetti very quickly, to be fair. And there is a great tale to be told there about finding and hiring coaches who just win wherever they are.
However, the same thing could have been said for Alabama when they hired Kalen Deboer.
Cignetti worked at Division II IUP, FCS Elon, and at James Madison (who transitioned to FBS from FCS during his tenure) before the got the IU gig. And Cignetti won at every stop, compiling a record of 119-20 before he got to Bloomington.
The thing is, DeBoer is a winner, too. 104-12 in his three stops before heading to Tuscaloosa. However, it seems like it’s not enough to stop the questions surrounding his tenure so far.
In the Rose Bowl, Indiana was the superior team. Physically dominant across both lines of scrimmage. Better quarterback play. Flat out coached better, it seems.
Now, Cignetti spent time as the wide receiver coach and the recruiting coordinator in the early days of the Nick Saban run at Alabama. And it seems like the recruiting coordinator part of the job is the key to his success.
Having an eye for talent, especially in the trenches, will take you far.
And then developing and coaching that talent matters.
Like, the stars matter crowd and the “Blue Chip Ratio” thing probably make a difference. But only to a point.
‘Bama had the higher star rating on the roster.
IU beat that ass in totality.
Pure talent matters, but you have to do something with it for it to ultimately make a difference in the end.
When the Michigan job opened in the middle of last month, there was speculation that Kalen DeBoer would bolt ‘Bama to head up north to take that gig. And while, in the back on my mind I thought he would if the Tide had lost to Oklahoma in the first round, I don’t know if that would have necessarily been the best thing for anybody involved.
The seat is always hot at Alabama. That’s just a fact of life and has been demonstrated time and time again throughout the history of the Tide’s program.
Getting dog walked 38-3 is an embarrassment of the highest order, though. And having it come at the hands of a historical doormat program enjoying the biggest glowup of all time…has to be extra bitter.
Heading into the offseason and portal season, Alabama needs to figure out how to run the ball again. The rushing production over the last three games (and inconsistency all season) is unbecoming of a program of this stature.
8 losses in two years for DeBoer at Alabama, including three embarrassing losses this season of different varieties (Florida State, Georgia, Indiana).
How much patience is left in Tuscaloosa? And really, if you’re DeBoer, do you consider looking around yourself to get out ahead of the posse?
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