What is a legend’s replacement? Alabama is welcoming Kalen DeBoer’s unique flair.
“This one had rings on it once, didn’t it?” he queries.
There were many things in Nick Saban’s former Alabama office, but nothing stood out more than the coffee table that served as the focal point of a sitting area next to his large wooden desk. It also served as a resting place for numerous bowl and championship rings, and the gilded mementos were stacked on top of each other in their velvet jewelry boxes, creating the perfect combination for the best recruiting pitch in sports history.
Tucked in between two upholstered armchairs and a brown leather couch, the varnished wooden coffee table showcased mementos from almost twenty years of college football history—possibly the most successful period in the sport’s history, with 201 wins, nine SEC titles, and six national championships.
The coffee table is no longer in use; a glass one has taken its place.
And there are no rings. This includes baseball hats, awards, framed images from trips to the White House, autographed game footballs, baseball caps, and his renowned hat rack.
The head coach’s office in Alabama is largely empty these days.
This is a plainly antiquated space, with its wooden walls and flooring being remnants of bygone eras, left this way by its prior coach and maintained this way by its present coach in anticipation of a makeover this spring.
Change is, in fact, here in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama football is no longer under the direction of the fiery, strict, and mercilessly demanding Saban. There’s a noticeable change in the halls a few days prior to the team’s spring game: DeBoer, who is kind, amiable, and graciously welcome.
The two can be complete opposites. An offensive expert who is 49 years old and from South Dakota, who is outgoing and personable, vs. a toughened 72-year-old with a defensive background who is rigid and harsh.
You could say that things are more laid-back here. softer. People appear to be calmer. Practices now feature music, there are fewer staff meetings, and—gasp!—assistant coaches now frequently address the media.
It’s a “vibe,” according to DeBoer, that comes from within him and is easygoing, relaxed, and laid back. That doesn’t mean he isn’t passionate at times, though. He is fiery, demanding, and all of these things at once. However, he is not always that way. And that might be alright.
Your identity is shaped by your experiences.
I’ve heard some people claim they are unsure about the best approach.
Glancing across at that coffee table, DeBoer remarks.
Ultimately, the fundamental requirements for winning football games are more alike than dissimilar. You must be physically fit, self-disciplined, possess confidence, have an attitude, and swagger.
“Working hard and developing a team mentality go a long way toward it. I believe Coach Saban would say a lot of those things.
Naturally, he is correct. While the ingredients may vary, the recipe remains constant. Because of his predecessor, he is not altering his culinary method.
Bob Young, DeBoer’s former college coach, taught him a valuable lesson long ago when he was a receiver at NAIA Sioux Falls in the 1990s: be yourself. Young made an effort to imitate Vince Lombardi during his first season as head coach.
“He intended to establish legal regulations,” DeBoer laughed. It wasn’t a good outcome. He wasn’t like that. That will always be with me.
Greg Byrne, the athletic director of Alabama, had one clear objective in selecting Saban’s successor: “Hire the very best coach you can get.”
“There isn’t another Nick Saban, if hiring another was our goal,” Byrne asserts. “It will always be different when there is a change in head coaching. We were aware that would occur. Both are incorrect, although only one is.”
Because he is still getting used to this position—head coach of a blue-blood SEC juggernaut making $10 million annually—DeBoer’s openness and honesty are a little unusual for someone in this position.
Is he closing his eyes? Naturally, he is.
He was Fresno State’s offensive coordinator just six years ago. His tenure as a Power Five coordinator lasted a mere one year (Indiana, 2019). Ten years prior, he was having trouble with a 3-21 record in his first two seasons at Eastern Michigan as coordinator.
DeBoer admitted, “There have been times when you’ve thought, ‘This is hard.'” “I averaged $50,000 a year as a coach for the first fifteen years I was in the field.”
However, one of the most astonishing starts to a head coaching career in recent college football history has emerged from a humble origin at the Group of Five and NAIA levels. As head coach of Sioux Falls, Fresno State, and Washington, he has lost 12 games in nine seasons. He has five conference crowns, three bowl games, three NAIA championships (all at Sioux Falls), and a postseason berth to his name. He has run some of the most explosive attacks in the sport and coached some of the most recent outstanding quarterbacks in the game.
Now he’s here, in a city where collegiate football is practiced in front of thousands of fans at the Tuscaloosa airport in January, and hundreds of benefactors show up for a spring session. Then they’re interested in hearing him talk.
He remarked, “Everyone always remembers everything you say.”
DeBoer is the father of two daughters: a sixth-grader with a strong interest in horses and a high school senior who plans to stay in Seattle to play softball at Washington.
The family will close on a house in Tuscaloosa shortly, and they will sell their Seattle house the following week.
After being here, he hasn’t gone out too often.
He hasn’t eaten Alabama’s renowned barbecued ribs, and yes, he has been lost a few times, but his only concern is getting the squad ready from the facility or his makeshift on-campus housing.
Next season, Alabama quarterback quarterback Jake Milroe will be a seasoned veteran under head coach Kalen DeBoer. (Vasha Hunt/AP Photo)
He takes over a program that is in good shape on the field.
The Crimson Tide won 12 games, took home the SEC title, and made it to the postseason last season, so based on their most recent performance, they are in excellent health.
This is not a job where you can only get better from here. From here, you can either travel very far downhill or, with any hope, stay exactly the same.
Every third season, you’ll simply need to win a national title to stay the same.
unreasonable demands? No-win circumstance? Indeed.
Throughout January, when Alabama was looking for a new coach, the issue of who would take the place of a legend persisted throughout the industry.
In the words of one coach, “You want to replace the guy who replaced the guy.”
Realists like DeBoer.
He responds, “Yeah, I get that, but I don’t think anyone is going to put more pressure on me than I do.” I realize there are a lot more people looking at it and commenting. This is definitely on another level.
Alabama has someone who embraces those high standards in DeBoer, according to Byrne. Still, he is a realist.
“Is it a guarantee that we will win the national title each year?” Byrne inquires. Will he position us for that opportunity, even though we won’t be taking it? We have faith that he will.
According to DeBoer, Alabama already has a large portion of the required “infrastructure” in place as a result of years of Sabanization of the Crimson Tide program.
He left much as it was, with a mix of new and old faces taking over.
He retained head strength coach David Ballou, head trainer Jeff Allen, head coach Freddie Roach, head coach Robert Gillespie, and chief operating officer Ellis Ponder of the program.
DeBoer writes that these individuals “helped this place become what it is.”
“Coach Saban comes to mind when you think of Alabama football, but there’s more to it than that,” claims DeBoer. “His years of dedication have allowed this initiative to grow beyond just one individual.”
Nevertheless, in spite of his office’s makeover, the Saban Effect, as many refer to it, persists here.
Reminders abound, from the enormous coach’s face hanging on one wall to the national championship trophies in the building’s main foyer. Even DeBoer recognizes it in the group. With a team comprised of former four- and five-star recruits who impressed their new coach with their work ethic and focus, Saban left.
How can they be so aggressive and physical one moment, and then so composed and focused the next?
DeBoer commented, “It’s impressive to see, but I can’t say it’s shocking.”
His predecessor is observing in the background.
Even though his impact is still felt, Saban has not been around much at the football facilities. In actuality, he hasn’t been to any spring practices, and he wouldn’t dare listen in on defensive staff meetings as he did for years.
But he will be at Alabama’s spring game this Saturday, and he’s invited defensive coordinator Kane Wommack to his new office for defensive powwows at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Early in his tenure, DeBoer had regular conversations regarding personnel issues and staffing decisions with Saban.
Even so, the two have occasional conversations. It’s evident, though, that Saban intentionally—and possibly sensibly—removed himself from the show he created.
It is now DeBoer’s squad.
And the practice field, the Alabama coach’s office, and the facility all make that very clear.
The rings and the coffee table have vanished.
