A lot has changed since Nick Saban stepped down from his position as Alabama Crimson Tide head coach in 2024. Former Washington Huskies HC Kalen DeBoer was brought in to replace Saban after 17 years with the program.
Expectations were very high, but he couldn’t meet the Alabama standards, wrapping up his inaugural season with a 9-4 record and failing to make the College Football Playoff. After the season, experts pondered the potential reasons behind a sloppy season. DeBoer became a constant target for the critics.
Josh Pate Gets Real About Kalen DeBoer vs. Nick Saban Comparisons
It would be difficult to be the successor to Saban, trying to replicate his impact in Tuscaloosa. The program has been a dynasty for the past 17 seasons. A bar set so high that even a nine-win campaign is considered a big failure.
This week, college football analyst Josh Pate asked fans questions about Alabama’s current situation and the aftermath of the Saban era. When asked if DeBoer can match the six-time national champ’s legacy, Pate replied with a big NO.
“Jim from Hilton Head, South Carolina, asked if Kalen DeBoer will eventually get Alabama back to the level of success Nick Saban created. Well, of course, he won’t. That sounded rude, Jim. I don’t think he will,” Pate said on his podcast.
“I doubt anyone will be able to do that. That’s a very diplomatic way to answer this, ladies and gentlemen. I know that we’re still very, very closely removed from the Nick Saban era.”
Pate continued, “So whether you’re Wayne in Wetumpka or you’re Larry in Los Angeles, you probably haven’t come to realize how impossible what he did is to accomplish again, especially in the new era of college football, but it’s pretty much impossible to accomplish what Nick Saban just accomplished in the new era of college football.”
Saban posted an impeccable record of 183-25 during his 17-year tenure at Alabama. With six national championship victories, he has already etched his name in the ring of honor.
KEEP READING: CFB Analyst Breaks Down Kalen DeBoer’s Debut Season at Alabama
During his two years at Washington, DeBoer racked up a 25-3 record and led the Huskies to a national championship game in the 2023 season. After last year’s debacle, he mentioned it was time for a significant revamp, and Alabama is undergoing one.
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