Nick Saban Sends Stern Message to Alabama, Kalen DeBoer After Vanderbilt Loss

The Alabama Crimson Tide shockingly lost to the unranked Vanderbilt Commodores in Week 6. With the team now 4-1 on the season and ranked No. 7 overall in the country, they move on to face off against SEC rival, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

But the road ahead is a bit wonky for the Crimson Tide. They still have marquee matchups against Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma, and Auburn. Additionally, Alabama fans are applying pressure on new head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Despite that, former head coach and all-time great Nick Saban is humming a different tune from the rest of the crowd. During a visit with the "Pat McAfee Show," Saban shared a stern message to DeBoer and the Crimson Tide.

Overall, the 72-year-old former head coach likes what he's seen from DeBoer so far. But Saban admits that it's time for the Alabama football team to follow through with DeBoer's coaching.

"I didn't talk to Kalen DeBoer after the game, and I didn't wanna get in the way this time. He's been doing a good job of getting the right message to the team, but everybody in the organization has to reinforce that."

Despite Alabama fans criticizing DeBoer, Saban seems to believe the Crimson Tide are in a decent spot right now. A single loss doesn't truly hurt their chances of making the postseason and they're still in the mix to win the SEC Championship.

Saban might want to see more out of DeBoer and his team moving forward. Losing to a Vanderbilt team wasn't a great look. However, Alabama has the talent and coaching staff to right the ship before the season ends.

Alabama hired DeBoer to replace Saban after the legendary head coach announced his retirement during the 2024 offseason. The Crimson Tide reportedly wanted to hire Oregon coach Dan Lanning but opted for the Washington Huskies coach instead.

The soon-to-be 50-year-old head coach began his coaching career in the late 1990s working for Sioux Falls. Between 2010 and 2019, DeBoer worked as an offensive assistant coach for Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Fresno State, and Indiana.

He earned his first head coaching job at Fresno State in 2020 before being hired by the Huskies in 2021. After coaching leading Washington to the 2023 National Championship, DeBoer left the program for the Alabama job.

The Crimson Tide signed DeBoer to an eight-year $87 million contract. That's a hefty investment and we should expect to see DeBoer remain as the head coach in Alabama for several years.

Related: Alabama Fans Rage Over Kalen DeBoer's T-Shirt After Vanderbilt Loss