After talking politics in an interview this morning, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville was put to several interesting questions on a topic he also has strong expertise in: Coaching. Tuberville took stock of how several college football coaches are fairing at this point in the season on “The Dale Jackson Show” on WVNN.
Tuberville addressed the criticism surrounding Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer’s gameday attire.
“Well, one thing I’ll tell you is times have changed. If you go back to the [Ralph] ‘Shug’ Jordan and the [Paul] ‘Bear’ Bryant days when they all wore sport coats and white shirts and ties to going to polo shirts. Now, these younger coaches are going to more of the style of the kids, where they wear T-shirts. At the end of the day, we all know it’s not about what you wear or how you act. It’s about the wins and losses on the scoreboard,” Tuberville (R-Auburn) said.
RELATED: DeBoer says he’s heard about his t-shirt during Vandy game
“You know, my theory was always to never give anybody an opportunity to complain about anything, so I was going to try to do what I thought was best on and off the field—how you wore things, how you talked—but your main obligation is to try to win games. But they all do stack up against you.”
Tuberville said he was confident that the Crimson Tide would still make the College Football Playoff in spite of their struggles this season and, while Alabama can’t afford another loss, it’s unlikely they’ll be left out with just two.
“You’re not going to be able to take an Alabama team, or an Auburn team, or anybody in the SEC with three losses, when you’ve got somebody that’s only got one loss in some of these other conferences. They want to spread the wealth around. You know, they’re more of a socialist group now in the NCAA — spread the wealth around and not earn it.”
When asked about head coach Hugh Freeze’s struggles at Auburn, Tuberville was more direct. Auburn, currently winless in SEC play, faces an uphill battle, and Tuberville didn’t shy away from the road ahead for the team he once led to an SEC Championship victory.
RELATED: Freeze warning: Auburn blows it again to drop to 0-4 in SEC
“Now, two years in, he’s in one of those situations that I said earlier. People are going to evaluate his adjustments as he goes through the season, of what he does. He tried to change quarterbacks — that didn’t work out. You know, sometimes you can listen to your fans too much, but you’ve got to go with your instincts about how you know and the strengths of your football team. He’s got a hard road [ahead], you know. He’s got Kentucky on the road, and he’s got Vandy, who’s playing well, and he’ll only probably be picked to win one more game during the year, and that’s Louisiana-Monroe.”
“So they’ve got a lot of work to do. Their team’s struggling. They’re trying to find an identity.”
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270
