After winning less than 10 games in a season for the first time since 2007, the Alabama Crimson Tide are looking to respond in a big way this fall.
That starts with head coach Kalen DeBoer, who is embracing all of the expectations.
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer: Embracing Fan Expectations With 5.34 Million Behind the Tide
While speaking with CBS Sports’ Josh Pate recently, DeBoer discussed the Alabama fan base and its expectations.
“I appreciate everything about our fanbase. You want that intensity. The alternative is to have people that don’t really care…
I want those expectations. We came here for that.”@AlabamaFTBL‘s Kalen DeBoer to @JoshPateCFB pic.twitter.com/VqOxod0Rgv
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) May 2, 2025
DeBoer’s mindset is the right one to have for any head coach, but especially one in the SEC.
After having a less-than-ideal start to his coaching tenure last season in Tuscaloosa, it appears as though DeBoer is ready for a big second season from his players this time around.
The Lofty Expectations for Alabama
Simply put, the Tide always has massive expectations placed on them by themselves, the fans, or the media.
Part of that is due to the lengthy track record of success that coaches like Bear Bryant and Nick Saban were able to post during their runs at the helm. Year in and year out, if Alabama doesn’t win a national title, it is considered a disappointment by fans.
That is why some felt that last season missed the mark for DeBoer and Co. However, it is not easy taking over for a coach like Nick Saban, who is widely considered to be the greatest of all time. DeBoer took his lumps as a rookie head coach in the SEC, but he now knows what it takes to try and build a winner.
If the Tide had been able to beat unranked teams on the road last season in Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, they likely would have made the College Football Playoff with 11 wins. That is something that DeBoer and Co. can build off of, even if those games were tough pills to swallow.
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This season, with plenty of new faces on both sides of the ball, rest assured knowing that Alabama is going to have plenty of eyes on them.
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