Kalen DeBoer makes his stance clear on Alabama captain Malachi Moore ahead of Week 7 showdown

Ahead of Alabama's Week 7 clash against South Carolina, Crimson Tide captain Malachi Moore continues to be a major talking point.

The safety controversially slammed Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia's head on the turf, drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for kicking a spotted ball, and refused to be substituted during the Tide's shocking 40-35 loss to the Commodores.

During his weekly news conference, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who expressed his support for Moore earlier in the week, once again reiterated his confidence in the Crimson Tide's leadership group, which includes Moore.

"I appreciate the Tim Smith's, Malachi Moore, Que Robinson's... I can go on down the line with the guys that really pour into this place and continue to do so," DeBoer said.

The Malachi Moore situation gets mixed reactions

The Malachi Moore situation has drawn different reactions from the college football community.

One of the most scathing remarks about the Bama captain came from former Alabama running back Damien Harris on a podcast hosted by "The Athletic," where he accused DeBoer of enabling Moore with his postgame remarks.

"I'm gonna tell you exactly why he (Moore) feels like he can act like that. You go and you look at what Kalen DeBoer said in his postgame press conference about Malachi Moore. 'Oh, well he's one of our guys, and he's one of our leaders. Yeah, we expect him to use this and only bring positivity the rest of the season.' Man, damn that!" Harris said.

Moore found support from former NFL star Matt Leinart, who voiced his understanding of Moore's reaction during an episode of the "Triple Option" podcast.

“I don’t really mind it, to be honest. You’re maybe an All-American. You’re a captain. This is an emotional game, and like Mark said, you come back to potentially win a natty… and as long as you address and you hold yourself accountable in that locker room that’s all that matters,” Leinart said. “Nothing else outside of what we say or anyone else says, none of that matters.

"All that matters is what’s in that locker room. And I guarantee you that guy’s got the respect of everybody on that team. … It’s Vanderbilt, like again, are you kidding me? From a player’s perspective yeah, I get it.”

The actions of Malachi Moore seem to have divided college football fans and he will likely continue to be under the spotlight as the captain of perhaps the most scrutinized program in college football.