Kalen DeBoer was courageous enough to take one of the toughest jobs in the world of college football, which was to fill 7x National Champ Nick Saban’s shoes at Alabama.
Saban announced his decision to retire on Jan. 10 2024, soon after Alabama’s loss against Michigan during the national championship game.
DeBoer, who was appointed as the Washington Huskies head coach at the time was hired for the Crimson Tide gig 2 days later on Jan. 12, leaving many fans and analysts hopeful about the program’s future.
However, DeBoer’s first year at Alabama did not end as well as the fans would have hoped, as the team achieved an overall record of 9-4, breaking Saban’s long 10 wins streak.
While 9-4 may not be a bad record for many times, the standard and expectations at Alabama differ, which is why there is pressure on DeBoer to take the team to a playoffs spot, according to Paul Finebaum’s latest take on ESPN on Aug. 21.
“They absolutely do because we’re so used to them being at the top under Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer last year he had an okay first season, okay for maybe Washington where it used to be. But, three different times he was a double digit favorite on the road were at a neutral sight game and lost and that is unacceptable.” (3:23)
“Stephen A. Smith, you may have heard of him. He called him soft the other day. And a lot of people in Alabama are not exactly fighting back on that accusation. So, he has to win this year. He has to get to the playoff. We always looked at Saban as somebody that had to get to the national championship game where the season was going to be a disaster. But if Kalen DeBoer does not take this team to the playoff, the season will be a disaster,” Finebaum added.
Nick Saban Shows Faith in Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama in 2025
Many analysts thought Kalen DeBoer was a homerun when he first joined Alabama as he has one of the most impressive resumes in the current times, winning everywhere he goes, be it at Fresno State or Washington.
Despite their 9-4 record in 2024, Nick Saban still believes DeBoer is doing a great job at Alabama and blamed the transition for the last season.
“I think (DeBoer) is doing a great job,” Saban said during the Nick Saban Legacy Awards ceremony on Monday night in Birmingham via WBRC-TV. “I think there was so much in the transition. Last year, it was very, very difficult. A lot of players left when we retired, which I hated to see. The coaching changes, the staff changes. Players really relate to people in the organization, so when you change a lot of those people, it’s a big change for the players.”
Nick Saban also opined that this year’s squad is more grounded and feels Alabama will do better this season in the presence of the right coaching staff.
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