Jets Legend Joe Namath Forced to Confront Tough Reality After Alabama’s Humiliation

A 24-year-old streak just came to an end. For the first time since 2001, the Alabama Crimson Tide opened a season with a loss. Inside Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night, Florida State pulled off a 31-17 upset that stunned the Tide faithful. Under Kalen DeBoer, now in his second season leading the program, Alabama suddenly looked vulnerable in ways the college football world isn’t used to seeing.

Meanwhile, the numbers only paint a darker picture. This latest defeat marked DeBoer’s fourth stumble against an unranked opponent since stepping into the role. Losses to Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Michigan last season had already raised eyebrows, but this new one adds more fuel to the fire. To put it in perspective, Nick Saban only dropped four games to unranked teams in his entire 17-year run with Alabama.

So naturally, the fallout has reached their most famous name: Joe Namath. Namath, who won the Super bowl with the Jets, took to X and wrote, “Well. It looks like this could be a loooong season.” And the harsh reality is more losses are coming for the Alabama unless major corrections are made across several areas.

If you wonder why Namath is this worried, just look at his tenure with the program. He wasn’t just another quarterback to pass through Tuscaloosa. Back in 1964, he led the Tide to a national championship and delivered a 29–4 record over three seasons. His brilliance was so undeniable that legendary coach Bear Bryant once said Namath was “the greatest athlete I ever coached.”

Well. It looks like this could be a loooong season.

— Joe Namath (@RealJoeNamath) August 30, 2025

So from that glory days to today’s worrying sign is obvious to left the Jets as well as Alabama legend with this harsh reality check.