Every sports fan knows Stephen A. Smith isn’t afraid to stir the pot. He’s one of the loudest voices in American sports media, and most of the time, his takes are entertaining, passionate, and even spot-on. But every so often, Stephen A. launches into territory that makes the entire room pause — a place where logic takes a backseat, and pure theater takes over. And nothing illustrates that better than his latest Deion Sanders–Alabama rant.
The infamous rant came on First Take during a heated segment with SEC analyst Paul Finebaum. Smith came out swinging against Kalen DeBoer, who had just finished his first season at Alabama with a 9–4 record. It was Alabama’s worst finish since 2007 — a staggering stat considering Nick Saban’s reign had conditioned the Tide faithful to measure success only in championships. Smith declared the Crimson Tide under DeBoer “considerably softer” than Saban-led teams and suggested a coaching change.
“I wouldn’t mind at all if Alabama changed course and brought in someone like (Deion) ‘Prime Time’ (Sanders) to Alabama,” Smith said. “That would’ve been spectacular. I think it is something they should still consider down the line if this season is a repeat of last season.”
For Smith, the logic was simple: Sanders had turned Colorado into a national talking point overnight. The Buffs finished 9–4 in 2024, their first winning season since 2016, and made a bowl appearance. That turnaround followed a miserable 1–11 campaign in 2022, proving Prime could flip a program. Smith leaned on those optics and declared Alabama should have chosen Sanders. But the problem was obvious: the comparison was apples to oranges.
Stephen A Smith suggested to Paul Finebaum on First Take this morning that Alabama was “considerably softer” in 2024 and should have hired Deion Sanders over Kalen DeBoer.
— Sidelines – Bama (@SSN_Alabama) August 19, 2025
Washington football history. In 2023, the Huskies went 14–1, won the Pac-12 title, and reached the national championship game. Their offense was electric — quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns, Rome Odunze finished with 1,640 receiving yards, and the offensive line won the Joe Moore Award for being the best in the nation. DeBoer himself won multiple national coaching honors.
To dismiss that résumé after one rebuilding year at Alabama, where he inherited a roster reeling from Saban’s retirement and heavy NFL departures, felt like borderline slander. Sure, 9–4 is not Alabama’s standard, but stacking it against Saban’s dynasty is unfair in Year 1. Even Deion Sanders himself didn’t win immediately at the Power 4 level — his debut season at Colorado in 2023 ended with a 4–8 record. Progress takes time.
Smith also failed to mention the context of Bama’s 2024 season. Their four losses came against Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Michigan — yes, Alabama could’ve prevented 3 of these 4 loss, that’s on Kalen DeBoer (and Jalen Milroe). But statistically, Alabama still ranked top-25 in total defense and top-30 in scoring offense. DeBoer’s Tide were hardly “soft”; they were simply transitioning. Yet Stephen A. doubled down, going as far as to claim, “You can’t have somebody that brings a finesse-style of game to Alabama. That’s meat and potatoes, y’all.”
The rant took an even wilder turn when Smith began reliving conversations he claimed to have had with Deion Sanders during Florida State’s coaching transition. “My goodness, that’s where he wanted to go,” Smith said. “He desperately wanted to go back to Florida State, but they didn’t want him. I know this for a fact because I was on the phone with him when it was all going down.”
Bama Nation throws a digital haymaker at Stephen A. Smith
When Sideline Bama re-shared the tweet — “Stephen A Smith suggested to Paul Finebaum on First Take this morning that Alabama was ‘considerably softer’ in 2024 and should have hired Deion Sanders over Kalen DeBoer.” — the Tide faithful went on the attack.
The fans started with, “A sentence starting with ‘Stephen A Smith suggested’ is the best way to guarantee that the rest of the sentence is going to lower your IQ at least 25 points…” This wasn’t just a joke — it was an indictment of Smith’s SEC credibility. Fans were essentially saying: stick to basketball, because your football takes are making us dumber.
Another fan jumped in: “I’d bet money he didn’t watch one second of Alabama football last season (or any season).” The subtext was clear: Smith speaks with volume and lil biasness, not research, and in Tuscaloosa, that won’t fly. He clearly doesn’t see things from both end. Alabama fans live and breathe this game — missing context is the ultimate sin.
One Tide supporter brought the receipts: “Sanders; won at an HBCU and then won a max of 9 games in the Big 12. Kalen; turned around UW and took them to the natty with an NFL QB and 3 NFL WRs. ESPN has a Sanders problem. They’re obsessed.” Facts. The Huskies rolled out one of the nastiest air attacks in the country with Michael Penix Jr. slinging it and Rome Odunze doing damage on the outside. And it wasn’t just him — Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan turned that receiver room into an NFL pipeline, with all three now cashing checks on Sundays. Washington lit up defenses for 378 passing yards a game, good for No. 1 in the nation, and stacked up 503.9 total yards per game, which sat 6th overall. The Dawgs piled up 5155 points and 38 touchdowns, while opponents could only muster 3879 points and 23 TDs, per UW Athletics.
Then the gloves came fully off. Another fan simply declared, “He’s so stupid!!!!” We’ll leave at that. And finally, the knockout punch: “Well, Stephen A Smith is dumber than s–t and has a big mouth but other than that ok.” Brutal, but you can feel the exhaustion. For Tide Nation, this wasn’t just about Stephen A.’s DeBoer slander. It was about ESPN’s tendency to chase sensationalism over substance.
End of the day, Stephen A. Smith is who he is: a provocateur, a master of theater, and one of the most recognizable voices in sports. His willingness to say the unsayable is what makes him a star. But sometimes, that same quality makes him the b–t of the joke. The Deion-to-Alabama take? That’s one of those moments.
A year later, the internet brought it back to life, and Bama Nation responded with fury and laughter. Deion Sanders deserves credit for reviving Colorado, no doubt. But to call Kalen DeBoer “soft” after one rebuilding season — while ignoring his 14–1 masterpiece at Washington — was peak overreaction.
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