Kalen DeBoer took over at Alabama after Nick Saban stepped down as head coach after 17 years. It was challenging for the former Washington Huskies head coach to fill Saban’s shoes since fans had high expectations.
CJ Dippre Comes Out in Support of Kalen DeBoer at 2025 NFL Combine
DeBoer tried his best, but the Crimson Tide finished the season with a 9-4 record and could only manage to punch a bowl ticket against the Michigan Wolverines.
Despite a nine-win season, the campaign was viewed as a big failure. All the blame was thrown at DeBoer for his lack of effective strategy.
Ever since the season ended, DeBoer has been under heavy scrutiny. Although the season turned out to be subpar, several players from ‘Bama declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, and many of them were invited to the NFL Combine.
Alabama TE CJ Dippre, who was speaking to reporters on Thursday, Feb. 27, at Indianapolis, gave a big shoutout to DeBoer, saying the season was a huge success and Saban’s absence was never felt.
“You know, I thought both were good, great coaches,” Dippre said about Saban and DeBoer. “Coach DeBoer did a very good job. Under the circumstances of coming under Coach Saban, you know, it’s really hard to step into such a successful, already traditional, good program.
“Obviously, we didn’t have the best results we had, but, you know, we saw the winning season. Still did good. So, I think it was a successful first season for coach DeBoer.”
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Saban might have enshrined his name as one of the greatest coaches of all time in the history books, but Kalen Deboer is on a similar path.
During his two seasons at Washington, the veteran coach finished with an impressive 25-3 record and led the program to a national championship in the 2023 season against the Michigan Wolverines. Although they lost the game, it was a major addition to this resume.
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