It’s one thing to follow a legend. It’s quite another to follow a legend at Alabama. It’s quite another to follow Nick Saban.
Kalen DeBoer has done all three.
Before we begin, I must confess that, with respect to Alabama football, I can be a bit of a cynic. In my text conversations and when watching a game, admittedly I can be a bit negative.
That said, my confidence in the Alabama head football coach has waxed and waned over the last two years. I band wagoned with the other scoffers after the debacle in Tallahassee to start the season, then seesawed back as the Tide went on a nice run in September and October.
I approach every game with caution, watching with one eye open and one eye closed, because in this era of college football, this post-Saban flawed abyss – rife with NIL deals, robust transfer portal action, and paying players – we often don’t know which team will show up.
Today, for example. When Alabama hits the field at 3 p.m. CDT in Atlanta, will the team that went into Athens on September 27 show up, or will the team that languished in the Florida Panhandle on August 30 show up? Will the team that won 8 straight through a two-month gauntlet show up, or the team that gave up 17 points off three turnovers in a home demerit to Oklahoma?
Alabama didn’t play well against Auburn last week, to be sure, but the Tide still got the win in the most hostile environment imaginable. I’d certainly like to see the Tide clicking on all cylinders, but I’ll take a win at Jordan-Hare anytime.
The boys can’t play like that this week and expect to be SEC champions. Yes, Georgia has lost 10 out of the last 11 to Alabama and Kirby seems to have a mental block when playing his former team, but at some point, the Dawgs are going to come out on top. Today may very well be the day.
Though this game has been overshadowed by SEC coaching turnover and the Lane Kiffin overlong saga, don’t sleep on the fact that this could be a defining moment for Kalen DeBoer. It’s hard to believe that one might consider a coach whose team owns a 10-2 record “embattled,” but such is the case for the Alabama head man (chalk that up as being part and parcel to the job).
Simply put: at Alabama, you win championships—or you’re gone.
Now DeBoer has a chance to put his stamp on the SEC landscape permanently and secure a championship that ‘Bama fans so desperately seek, demand. Will this be enough to settle down hypercritical, rarely satisfied Tide fans? If Alabama loses, will the criticism ramp back up? Can DeBoer lose a game without ‘Bama fans calling for his head?
All relevant questions.
Let’s face it. Alabama isn’t for everyone, and I wonder if DeBoer underestimated the pressure inherent to the job—more than the cafeteria line at Niki’s West—when he signed on the dotted crimson line. It’s a position in which every single thing is scrutinized, from the way you dress, to the way you talk to reporters, to sideline demeanor, to physical appearance, to hiring, firing, facial expressions, nonverbal cues, English grammar and punctuation, soft drink of choice, and decision-making.
At Alabama, winning isn’t the only thing. You must act the part, speak the part, play the part, wear the part. And Saban heightened those expectations to the Nth degree.
Regardless, DeBoer doesn’t appear to be itching to get out of Tuscaloosa—at least for now. Rumors that he might be interested in the Penn State opening were quelled this week, as the Nittany Lions hired Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as their new head coach.
How loyal does DeBoer feel to the program and how committed is he to Alabama after Year 2? We shall soon see.
Credit to DeBoer in leading his team to an SEC championship game in just his second year. This is a big deal after a 9-4 clunker in 2024 and should go a long way to appeasing the talk show callers from Hackleburg and Mulga. After all, there’s not a better college coaching job in the world, but there is not a tougher college coaching job in the world than being the head coach at Alabama.
A victory against Georgia today (this would be DeBoer’s third victory over the Bulldogs in two seasons) would put a smile on fans’ faces with the team’s first conference title since—good heavens—2023 and would calm even his harshest critics, at least for a little while.
Alabama is still dealing with the fact that DeBoer isn’t Bear and isn’t Saban, and fans like me are still trying to embrace this new era of ‘Bama football without reminiscing too much on the Glory Days.
Maybe it’s time to fully embrace DeBoer for who he is, instead of who he isn’t. And maybe, before kickoff this afternoon, I should do a little Christmas shopping for myself.
I’m in the market for a black hoodie that fits. TG
