Kalen DeBoer explains why he is the correct choice as Nick Saban's successor

Taking over as the new head coach at Alabama, former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer has the unenviable task of replacing arguably the greatest coach in college football history in Nick Saban.

It won’t be easy, and DeBoer knows it. That much was clear in his first meeting with reporters in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“You just said two things that I think are impossible, right?” DeBoer said. “Filling his shoes. It is impossible. And I say that humbly.”

In 17 years, Saban won six national titles and competed for a handful of others. Every year when the season began Alabama was one of the favorites to win it all, almost without fail.

So how does DeBoer grapple with embracing that challenge while not being overwhelmed by it? He explained his approach.

“I believe in what I can do as far as continue to take places that are in a good spot and building on what is already here,” Kalen DeBoer said. “I think there’s a piece where you have to have a confidence in yourself. Because there will be things that are second-guessed.”

That’s a guarantee at a place like Alabama, which is why taking the job comes with so much weight. There’s an immense amount of pressure being the Crimson Tide coach, especially right after Saban’s tremendous multi-decade run.

However, that high level of success over the past two decades or so also offers a promise for DeBoer.

“When there’s so much continuity that’s happened for so many years, at such a high level, it’s awesome, right?” DeBoer said. “Who doesn’t want to be a part of — if you’re truly a competitor — a part of that ultimate, top-end goal of being at the top, being the best?”

The goal is to pick up right where Saban left off. That means winning titles eventually, and preferably sooner than later.

DeBoer is well aware of that. And he’s embracing it as he begins his journey at Alabama.

“I don’t expect to fill coach Saban’s shoes exactly how he did it but I know that there’s an expectation and I know it can help our program, together, reach the same goals that have been set forth with championships, doing it in a way that’s done with class, done with integrity, as we build better men,” Kalen DeBoer said.