How can a legend be replaced? Alabama is seeing Kalen DeBoer bring his unique approach.
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama: Before him, Kalen DeBoer taps the glass coffee table.
“This was once ringed, wasn’t that right?” He queries.
Few things in Nick Saban’s former Alabama office were as memorable as that coffee table. It served as the focal point of a sitting area next to his large wooden desk, served as the final resting place for numerous bowl and championship rings, and held gilded mementos that were stacked on top of one another in velvet jewelry boxes, creating the perfect combination for the sport’s greatest recruiting pitch.
The varnished wooden coffee table, which was tucked between two upholstered armchairs and a brown leather couch, showcased mementos from almost twenty years of college football history. This dynasty was characterized by 201 victories, nine SEC titles, and six national championships.
The coffee table has vanished and been replaced by an empty glass one. There are no rings either. Baseball caps, trophies, framed photos from trips to the White House, autographed game footballs, and Saban’s renowned hat rack are all included.
Generally speaking, the head coach’s office at Alabama is generally empty. This area, with its wooden walls and floors that are reminiscent of bygone eras, was left this way by its previous coach and has been maintained in this manner by its present coach in anticipation of a makeover this spring.
Yes, there is change in Tuscaloosa.
The flamboyant, strict, and mercilessly demanding Nick Saban is no longer in charge of Alabama football. A few days prior to the team’s spring game, a completely different captain patrols these corridors: DeBoer, kind, amiable, and humbly hospitable.
Perhaps the two are complete opposites. A 49-year-old South Dakotan offensive genius who is chatty and personable, vs a 72-year-old defensive specialist who is rigid and harsh.
This place seems more laid back, you could say. More composed. People appear less tense. Practices feature music, staff meetings are reduced, and—gasp!—assistant coaches now routinely address the media.
According to DeBoer, it’s a “vibe” that comes from within him and is easygoing, relaxed, and laid back. That does not lessen the intensity of his moments. He is a fiery, demanding person who can be all of these things. However, that’s not his constant self. Perhaps that’s okay too.
“Who you are is shaped by your experiences. Peering over the coffee table, DeBoer remarks, “I’ve heard several people say they don’t know what approach is better.” The fundamentals of what it takes to win football games are ultimately more similar than different. You need to be physically fit, disciplined, have a certain mindset, swagger, and confidence.
That is largely attained by working hard and cultivating a team mentality. Many of those statements seem like things Coach Saban would say.
Of course, he is correct. The ingredients are always the same, even though the recipe may vary. He isn’t altering his culinary method in response to his predecessor.
Being authentic is a valuable lesson that DeBoer, a receiver at NAIA Sioux Falls in the 1990s, acquired from his former college coach, Bob Young, a long time ago. As a head coach, Young tried to imitate Vince Lombardi in his debut season.
DeBoer laughs, “He was going to lay down the law.” “That didn’t go smoothly. He wasn’t like that at all. I will never forget that.
Greg Byrne, the athletic director of Alabama, stated that his objective in selecting Saban’s successor was to choose the greatest coach possible.
“There isn’t another Nick Saban, if that was our intention,” Byrne declares. “Every time there is a change in head coaching, things will alter. That’s what we knew would happen. There are two that are neither right nor wrong.
For someone in this position, DeBoer’s openness and honesty are a little unusual because he is still getting used to being the head coach of a blue-blood SEC juggernaut and making $10 million annually.
Is he self-pinching? He is, of course.
He was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State just six years ago. During his tenure, he was a Power Five coordinator for just one year (Indiana, 2019). And ten years prior, in his first two seasons as Eastern Michigan’s coordinator, he was just managing a 3-21 record.
“There have been times when you’ve thought, ‘This is difficult,'” DeBoer admitted. “I made about $50,000 a year on average over my first 15 years as a coach.”
Despite a humble beginning at the Group of Five and NAIA levels, the head coach’s career has started off with one of the more astounding starts in recent memory in college football history. In his nine seasons as head coach of Sioux Falls, Fresno State, and Washington, he has lost 12 games. He has three NAIA crowns from Sioux Falls, three bowl games, five conference championships, and a postseason berth to his name. He has coached some of the most outstanding quarterbacks in the game right now and run some of the most explosive attacks in sports history.
He arrived in January to thousands of admirers at the Tuscaloosa airport, where hundreds of contributors show up for a spring practice. Now, he is here, where there is an unrivaled love for college football. They then want to listen to him talk.
“Everything you say is always held onto by everyone,” he remarked.
DeBoer is a father to two daughters: one a sixth-grader who loves horses, and the other a senior in high school who will stay in Seattle to play softball for Washington. The family will sell their Seattle house next week and close on a house in Tuscaloosa soon after.
Since being here, he hasn’t gone out much; instead, he has been concentrating on getting the squad ready from the facility or his makeshift on-campus accommodation (yes, he has gotten lost a few times, but no, he hasn’t tried Alabama’s renowned barbecued ribs yet).
He inherits a program that is far from broken on the field. According to the latest findings, it is in excellent condition: Last season, the Crimson Tide won 12 games, took home the SEC title, and made it to the postseason.
This is not a position where you can only advance from here. From here, things can only get worse. Alternatively, if you’re really fortunate, things might stay the same. You’ll just need to win a national title every third season to stay the same.
unrealistically high standards? No way to win? Yes.
A question that persisted in the industry throughout Alabama’s January coach search was: Who wants to succeed a legend?
One coach said frankly, “You want to replace the guy who replaced the guy.”
Realist DeBoer is.
“Yes, I understand that,” he replies, “but I don’t think anyone else will put more pressure on me than I will.” I am aware that there are a lot more people viewing and commenting. I have no doubt that things are different here.
According to Byrne, Alabama has someone who embraces those high standards in DeBoer. He is a realist, though.
Does this imply that we will win the national title each and every year? Byrne queries. “No, we won’t, but will he position us to take advantage of that opportunity? We have no doubts he will.
According to DeBoer, a large portion of the required “infrastructure” at Alabama is already in place as a result of years of Sabanization of the Crimson Tide program. His takeover included both newcomers and the old guard, but he kept most of it unaltered. He retained the program’s chief operations officer, Ellis Ponder, head strength coach David Ballou, head trainer Jeff Allen, and coaches Freddie Roach and Robert Gillespie.
According to DeBoer, these are the people who “helped this area become what it is.”
“When you think of Alabama football, you think of Coach Saban, but that’s not all there is to it,” claims DeBoer. “He worked for many years to build this software into something larger than one individual.”
That being said, even with his office revamped, there is still what many refer to as the “Saban Effect” here.
Numerous cues are there, such as the enormous portrait of the coach hanging on one wall and the national championship trophies in the building’s main foyer. DeBoer observes it in the group. Former four- and five-star recruits who impressed their new coach with their work ethic and focus comprised the team Saban left behind.
How can they be so composed and concentrated one moment, then so aggressive and muscular the next?
It’s stunning to watch, but I can’t say it’s shocking, according to DeBoer.
His predecessor looks on in the distance.
Saban has been largely absent from the football facilities, even if his impact endures. He hasn’t even gone to a spring practice, and he wouldn’t dare to watch defensive staff meetings like he did for years.
Nevertheless, he has invited defensive coordinator Kane Wommack into his new office in Bryant-Denny Stadium for defensive powwows, and he intends to watch Alabama’s spring game this Saturday.
In the early part of his job, DeBoer spoke with Saban every day regarding personnel issues and staffing choices. Nevertheless, the two do occasionally converse. However, it’s evident that Saban intentionally—and maybe wisely—removed himself from the show he created.
Now, this is DeBoer’s squad. And it’s clear from the inside of the building, the practice field, and the Alabama coach’s office.
As one person put it, “The old man is gone.”
Along with it are the rings, the coffee table, and other items.
