SEC Media Days are underway, but we’ve yet to hear from one of the conference’s newest faces: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer. He holds one of the most difficult positions in the country, and not because of the expectations bestowed upon the head coach of a top SEC school.
DeBoer takes the baton from the legendary Nick Saban, who shocked the college football world by returning in January. What are some of the biggest questions he’ll face on stage at Media Days?
Three Most Significant Questions for Kalen DeBoer at SEC Media Days
1) How Much of a Drop-Off Will There Be Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer?
Saban is arguably the greatest collegiate HC of all time, but DeBoer is no slouch. He began his head coaching career at NAIA Sioux Falls, where he played football and baseball. Across five seasons (2005-09), DeBoer led the team to an absurd 67-3 record and three championships, earning a call-up to the Division 1 level.
He then spent the next decade as an offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2010-13), Eastern Michigan (2014-16), Fresno State (2017-18), and Indiana (2019) before earning his next head coaching opportunity with the Bulldogs.
In a COVID-impacted 2020 campaign, Fresno State went 3-3, but DeBoer kicked the team into gear in 2021, going 9-3 with ranked victories over UCLA and San Diego State. Receiving yet another promotion, Washington hired the South Dakota native to turn around the program after the Huskies 4-8 — and he didn’t disappoint.
MORE: 2024 Alabama Crimson Tide Depth Chart
In his two seasons at the helm, DeBoer’s squad won 25 of 28 contests, falling to the Michigan Wolverines in the 2023-2024 National Championship Game. That brings his career record to 104-12, including a 72-1 home split. Not only does DeBoer’s win percentage (89.6%) lead all active Division 1 coaches, but it would be the second-highest in college football history (his nine seasons are one short of qualifying for the all-time list).
Suffice it to say, DeBoer is worthy of filling Saban’s shoes in Tuscaloosa, and Crimson Tide fans shouldn’t be concerned about a significant drop-off in performance.
2) Can Jalen Milroe Improve in DeBoer’s System?
DeBoer hoped to bring longtime assistant Ryan Grubb with him to Tuscaloosa, but he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to become the Seattle Seahawks’ next offensive coordinator.
With Grubb onto greener pastors, DeBoer promoted TEs coach Nick Sheridan and WRs coach JaMarcus Shephard to co-OCs. However, the head coach will still have a hand in the offense. “I’m in and around it. I can’t help but always know exactly what’s going on. I do want them to make it theirs as we go through it.”
That’s a massive win for Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, as DeBoer has earned a reputation as a QB whisperer. Indiana averaged just 257.8 passing YPG in 2018 but exploded to 302.4 YPG (second in the Big Ten) with DeBoer running the show in 2019 — and that was with both Michael Penix Jr. and Peyton Ramsey starting 5+ games.
It was the same story at Fresno State. DeBoer inherited a passing offense that ranked seventh out of 12 Mountain West teams (226.8 YPG) and turned it into one of the most prolific units in the nation (356.3, fifth in the FBS).
In 2021, Jake Haener became just the fourth QB in school history to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season and ranked top 15 in passing YPG (eighth, 315.1 YPG), total passing yards (ninth, 4,096), and passing touchdowns (11th, 33).
Yet, it was at Washington where DeBoer put the country on notice. Penix transferred in from Indiana and quickly surpassed his four-year Hoosiers total of 4,197 passing yards, reaching 4,641 in his first season with the Huskies. But he wasn’t done.
In Year 2, Penix soared to 4,903 yards (first in the FBS) and 36 TDs (third), finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting and leading Washington to their first national championship appearance.
But what does all this mean for Milroe? The 21-year-old was briefly benched before rattling off 11 straight wins for the Tide last season. He has all the physical tools to be an elite QB, but his accuracy and decision-making were issues throughout his first year as a starter. There will be some growing pains with DeBoer, as his full-time starters have averaged 533 pass attempts per season, while Milroe threw less than 300 in 2023.
Yet, Milroe isn’t the only one who will have to adapt. DeBoer has never had a signal-caller with the redshirt junior’s rushing ability and will need to tailor to his dual-threat skill set. If both sides successfully adjust to each other’s strengths, Milroe could be this year’s Jayden Daniels, who fabricated nearly 5,000 total yards (3,812 passing, 1,134 rushing) en route to the Heisman Trophy in final season at LSU.
3) Does Alabama Have the Talent to Defeat Georgia Again?
According to FanDuel, Alabama has the third-longest odds (+700) of winning the SEC Championship in 2024, behind only Georgia (+185) and Texas (+350).
Yet, the Crimson Tide have won eight of the last 12 conference title games, including a 27-24 upset of the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs last season, which effectively gave them the final College Football Playoff spot over their rival.
In fact, that was Georgia’s first loss since its 2021 SEC Championship defeat against — you guessed it — Alabama. The Bulldogs will be out for revenge when they travel to Tuscaloosa in Week 5, and the two could very well square again in the title match later in the year.
With Milroe under center, Jam Miller and Justice Haynes in the backfield, a trio of third-year WRs, including Washington transfer Germie Bernard, and one of the best offensive lines in the nation, Bama is going to score points.
And, although Saban isn’t running the defense anymore, new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack will call the shots after a successful run as the HC at South Alabama.
Under his tutelage, the defense ranked 15th nationally in total defense (313.2 YPG) and third in the Sun Belt in points allowed per game (21.0). He’ll also have co-defensive coordinators Colin Hitschler (Wisconsin’s co-DC, 2023) and Maurice Linguist (Buffalo’s head coach, 2021-23) to lean on.
There will be no shortage of talent for the trio to deploy at Alabama, with a solid mix of returning players (DT Tim Keenan III, LBs Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell, and safeties Malachi Moore and Devonta Smith), transfers (DBs Keon Sabb, Domani Jackson, and DaShawn Jones), and recruits (particularly five-star DBs Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe, and Zavier Mincey) at his disposal.
If both teams play to their potential, we shouldn’t see another playoff without either squad in the dance, as the CFP expanded to 12 teams this offseason.
SEC Media Days Schedule: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Head Coach
- Date: Wednesday, July 17
- Time: 9:05 a.m. CT
- How to watch: SEC Network+
On top of welcoming a new coaching staff for the first time in 26 seasons, Alabama will have to navigate the sixth-toughest strength of schedule in the country. Kicking off the season at home against Group of Five opponents (Western Kentucky and USF) should generate positive momentum, but that’s as easy as it will get.
Georgia, South Carolina, and Missouri make up their next home bouts, and ending the season with the Iron Bowl against Auburn is anything but a guaranteed victory — although it’s much closer to one with Payton Thorne at the helm for the Tigers. The road slate isn’t much easier, as the Crimson Tide will face Wisconsin, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma in their own environments.
Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide have the coaches and players to post their 13th straight 11+ win campaign and challenge for their seventh natty appearance since 2015.
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