Kalen DeBoer shares who he leaned on for advice during Alabama search
Replacing Nick Saban is no easy undertaking. In a conversation with FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt, Kalen DeBoer revealed who he leaned on while becoming Alabama‘s next head coach.
“First and foremost, it was my family,” DeBoer said. “We loved where we were at and that was the hardest thing. Life was really good at Washington, the people around us. My daughter is going to college there.
“A lot of things just perfectly aligned and that’s where it started. But, getting that blessing there to look into this and understand more, was from them. I think there’s a couple of friends that you just give some perspective on because they know me. And then, there’s some people in the professional world and I don’t really want to get into those people, but a few that understand what this job is.”
Obviously, DeBoer had no shortage of help coming to a decision. Nonetheless, it’s an imposing task for anybody to attempt to fill Saban’s shoes. After taking over the reins in 2007, Saban led the Crimson Tide to six national championships, including three titles in the College Football Playoff era.
He nearly added another trophy to his collection this past season, falling to Michigan in overtime in the College Football Playoff semifinals. When Klatt asked DeBoer about the potential downsides of succeeding a living legend, the 49-year-old head coach couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ve heard that. I mean not 100 times. I’ve heard that thousands of times, which I get,” DeBoer said. “I get where it comes from, but you really never make it about that… You make it about these players and when you pour into the right things, the right things will happen to you.”
Although DeBoer inherited a historic program, he certainly didn’t land on third base. The team lost 34 players to the transfer portal this offseason. Moreover, Alabama will only return 44% of its total production from last season, per ESPN.
Kalen DeBoer knows it won’t be easy to maintain the standard of success Saban set at Alabama. However, he’s thankful Saban is always willing to help him along his journey.
“Every time I’ve called him, he’s picked up the phone. And it’s been quite often,” DeBoer said earlier this offseason. “I’m trying to give him some space and let him enjoy his time, but I know he sees my number come in and knows that I’m looking for maybe a little bit of advice or just a talk through something, and he’s just been awesome in every way.
“I know he’s gonna gonna continue to do that. I can just feel that’s what he’s all about.”