Greg McElroy defends Alabama as a Tier 1 SEC team entering 2024

Nick Saban won’t be on Alabama‘s sidelines this season but the program still has a chance to be great. On Monday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy fiercely defended the Crimson Tide and explained why they will be one of the best teams in the country in 2024.

“A lot of people want to take Alabama out of this discussion. I understand that because people have so much respect for Nick Saban,” McElroy said. “But, here’s what I’ve kind of come to realize. You can respect Nick Saban and what he’s done, and still acknowledge that Alabama might be still pretty good moving forward under Kalen DeBoer.

“If you give Kalen DeBoer his flowers, you’re not taking away from what Nick Saban’s accomplished. I think people are having a difficult time with that right now. Kalen DeBoer is fresh off a 25-3 record at Washington the last couple of years. He was 67-3 in NAIA. As a Division I head coach, he’s 37-9. He’s 12-2 against ranked opponents at both Washington and Fresno State. And he just had 10 guys drafted in the NFL. I think he knows what he’s doing.”

DeBoer’s record speaks for itself. He won the Pac-12 last season and led Washington to its first national championship appearance in the College Football Playoff era. As excellent as DeBoer is, he’ll still face several obstacles in his debut campaign at Alabama.

Hurdles ahead for Kalen DeBoer

The team lost 34 players to the transfer portal this offseason, landing at No. 57 in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. In fact, Alabama will only return 44% of its total production from last season, per ESPN.

However, DeBoer did keep the Crimson Tide’s 2024 recruiting class intact. Alabama will have 26 freshmen on its roster in the upcoming season, including five-star prospects such as wide receiver Ryan Williams and cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe.

“I do think Alabama is maybe on slightly thinner ice as far as depth is concerned,” McElroy said. “But their best is still as good as anybody else in the entire conference. Their best is still as good as just about everybody in the sport.”

Alabama’s “best” still includes veterans such as quarterback Jalen Milroe, linebacker Deontae Lawson and offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor. Not to mention, Alabama added several standout transfers, including former USC cornerback Domani Jackson and former Washington wide receiver Germie Bernard.

Alabama will kick off its 2024 campaign in a showdown against Western Kentucky at 7 p.m. ET on Aug. 31. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.