ESPN personality not pleased with Kalen DeBoer’s extension at Alabama

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Not everyone is pleased with the University of Alabama’s decision to extend head football coach Kalen DeBoer for another seven years.

Alabama football fans react to Kalen DeBoer receiving contract extension

The Board of Trustees compensation committee approved a new seven-year, 87.5 million extension for Coach DeBoer on Wednesday. He will pocket $12.5 million annually after navigating the Crimson Tide to the Southeastern Conference Championship Game and a College Football Playoff berth in 2025. DeBoer is 20-8 in two seasons as the Tide’s head coach, but ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is ‘not moved’ by Alabama’s decision to extend DeBoer.

He explained his reason on Thursday via ESPN’s First Take.

“I’m not moved.” 👀

—@stephenasmith on Kalen DeBoer’s extension with Alabama 🏈 pic.twitter.com/hh7V4mou0a

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 23, 2026

“I am certainly not failing to acknowledge that he is a good coach and that he has succeeded in most places he has been, but I was spoiled by Nick Saban,” Smith said. 

“And I know everybody cannot be Nick Saban, but you did not have to fall off and lose as many games in your two seasons at Alabama than he lost in his last four years at Alabama combined. It has been a precipitous drop off. They [Alabama] had a lot of issues in the last year, cats can’t catch, can’t run, can’t hold on to the football, can’t block, can’t defend. And to give him this lengthy, seven-year extension … I am sorry, I am not sold.”

Smith is okay with DeBoer being extended, but this level of faith that Alabama showed is mind-blowing to him.

Alabama football’s head coach Kalen DeBoer reacts to contract extension

DeBoer has to prove himself right as he enters year three in the fall.

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Stephen M. Smith is a team writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.