The Guy Who Wants To Be The Guy
To Kalen DeBoer, following in the footsteps of a giant is an opportunity to prove his greatness. For that reason, he might be the ideal leader to follow Nick Saban at Alabama.
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It still doesn’t quite feel real. We’re over nine months removed from getting the notification to our phones that sent shockwaves through the sports world. Shortly after Alabama’s College Football Playoff overtime defeat in the Rose Bowl to eventual national champion Michigan, Coach Nick Saban’s retirement was announced. While the reality is that the end of Saban’s reign was bound to happen sooner than later, the shock was profuse nonetheless.
Throughout 17 seasons, Saban accomplished everything there was to achieve in the sport. The history needs no rehashing. The larger accomplishment, to me, is the air of invincibility that permeated the Alabama Football program. Nick Saban coached 235 games at the University of Alabama. The Tide was only an underdog in 13 of those games.
It’s that type of respect that even oddsmakers gave to the program. Very rarely, if ever, did opposing teams and fanbases truly believe they could last four quarters against Saban’s bunch.
We could wax poetic all day about Saban and the good times, but immediately after the shock wore off, the next question was, who is next? Who would be the man crazy enough to take on the inconceivable task of following up the greatest college football coach of all time at a place like Alabama?
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When a changing of the guard occurs, especially a transition from a figure heralded as an all-time great, oftentimes the expectations around said program change. At the University of Alabama, that’s a luxury that will likely never be afforded.
According to Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne, there was only one man for the job. Coach Kalen DeBoer, most recently named the National Coach of The Year at The University of Washington, was named Head Coach at the University of Alabama on January 12th. At the time, boasting a 105-12 coaching record, DeBoer had been a proven winner at every level of football.
Three NAIA National Championships at his alma mater Sioux Falls, a 9-3 record in his second season at Fresno State, and a 25-3 record at Washington where the Huskies won the 2023 Pac-12 championship game won a playoff game against Texas and made a trip to the national championship game.
The saying “pass the stick” refers to a gamer giving up the controller to another person. It can be used in two ways. One, when you’re playing a sporting game and go down by 21 points or more, you pass the stick to the next player. The other end is, that after you’ve won enough, you pass the sticks to the next player to get their turn to play as a small show of humility. Coach Saban passed the stick to DeBoer at the perfect time, before the game passed him by.
Were the sticks passed to the right man? In reality, that remains to be seen. We’re only three games into the DeBoer era. It’s far too soon to make any grand declarations. Also, while the 3-0 start is great, it is simply the standard. What would be a feel-good story in most places is the fervent expectation at Alabama.
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The verdict is still out on DeBoer however there was no better time than now to transition. I’ll tell you why. For one, the stable of talent is still unfathomably stocked. 10 Alabama players were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Three in the first round and six in the top 80 picks. The Tide also lost 39 players to the transfer portal between both windows.
Despite those losses, Alabama still ranks number one in the country in the 247Sports College Football Team Talent Composite rankings. With 17 five-stars on the roster, that’s three more than the next closest teams, the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes.
A major reason why the cupboard is till full is Nick Saban left behind two of the most talent-rich recruiting classes of his career. The ‘23 class finished first in the country headlined by players like offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and running back Justice Haynes. The ‘24 class, mainly recruited by Saban, finished 2nd in the country.
One of the biggest questions with Kalen DeBoer’s hire was how would he be able to recruit. It’s no secret how important recruiting is to college football and you’re replacing the greatest recruiter ever. It was a tough, but more than fair question to ask. SEC recruiting is an entirely different beast at Alabama than recruiting at Fresno State and even Washington.
Well, that question was answered swiftly. When Saban announced his retirement, the window to transfer for players re-opened for a month. All-American safety Caleb Downs, Freshman All-American offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, and five-star quarterback Julian Sayin were amongst the big-name players to leave Alabama.
Among the bigger blows was five-star wide receiver Ryan Williams, an Alabama native, de-committing from the Tide. The buzzards began to swarm after that announcement, but this is where the infrastructure at Alabama went into overdrive. As I said, there was no better time for a transition and one of the biggest reasons is the landscape change.
(Courtney Morgan / X)
With the NIL and the transfer portal, college football programs have begun to implement the use of General Managers. Just like the NFL, the front office in college football is tasked with roster assessment, management, and retention. DeBoer doesn’t have a hellacious track record as a recruiter, but he found a perfect fit for the position.
Courtney Morgan, who has been instrumental in building rosters at Washington and Michigan as a staffer was amongst the people that got off the plane with Kalen DeBoer when he first landed in Tuscaloosa. Morgan was named GM and it signaled an even larger shift in the culture of Alabama football. Times have changed and the Tide changed with them.
Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge DeBoer’s retention of Coach Freddie Roach and Coach Robert Gillespie. The same can be said for the amazing support staff like Ashleigh Kimble and Ellis Ponder amongst others. Keeping a semblance of normalcy and more importantly, people who know how to get the job done was instrumental in keeping the ship afloat.
Multiple Coaches including defensive coordinator Kane Wommack and defensive backs coach Mo Linguist stepped down from division one head coaching positions to join the staff at Alabama. I say that to say, Saban’s dynasty wasn’t built alone. He had fantastic coaches and superb support staff. DeBoer was smart enough to keep pieces of that structure and add to it as well.
With that, Alabama was able to re-secure Ryan Williams's commitment, finished the ‘24 class ranked second, brought in a talented transfer portal class including a return from offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, and currently has the second-ranked ‘25 recruiting class. The recruiting at Alabama is holding up just fine under DeBoer.
(Sports Illustrated)
Another important factor in the ideal timing for a transition is the implementation of the 12-team expanded College Football Playoff system. Gone are the days when perfection, or close to it, is needed to have a chance at a National Championship. With the 12-team playoff and the SEC getting even tougher with Texas and Oklahoma joining the fold, there couldn’t be a better time for this change for Alabama.
Now, the standard remains. There’ll be a grave overreaction to every inevitable loss the team takes, but that’s just the job. The breathing room afforded to learn and grow while still being in the playoff hunt is a luxury for DeBoer and the new staff.
Lastly, and honestly most importantly to me, is that DeBoer wanted the job in the first place. There’s many rumors about the other marquee names turning down the position out of fear. Regardless of whether that’s true or not, what we do know is that DeBoer without a doubt wanted the position and took it head on. He made it very clear from the beginning that he wasn’t trying to be Saban. He knows there’ll never be another.
It’s in that humility I find DeBoer most intriguing. The understanding that living up to a giant is impossible, but believing you’re the man to do it anyway. Having the wherewithal to not clean house and to keep the foundation of the program in tact. It’s taking notes in a player’s meeting to learn the “bama standard” himself.
In the middle of the coaching search, I tweeted: “You should want the guy that wants to be the guy.” When I was talking to Alabama fans. I’ve also dubbed DeBoer the “silent psycho” due to some of his sayings and mannerisms. He’s almost robotic in a sense. But I believe that’s why it was the perfect time for the transition.
The infrastructure is still clearly at the top of the sport, the expanded playoff gives you a bit of leniency to grow, and most of all, Alabama found the guy that wanted to be the guy.
3-0 is nice, but what’s next? A date in Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium with Kirby Smart and the number two ranked Georgia Bulldogs in primetime. How about that for your SEC opener as the Coach at Alabama? That’s what DeBoer signed up for, and that’s why he might be the right man for the job.