Nick Saban on tenor surrounding Kalen DeBeor, Tide: 'They don't have a lot of patience at Alabama'

Kalen DeBoer was on top of the world after beating Georgia earlier this season, but he’s found it difficult walking in the shoes of Nick Saban over the past couple of weekends at Alabama.

A loss to Vanderbilt and narrowly escaping South Carolina had many wondering if the Crimson Tide misfired when they anointed their new coach. As Alabama prepares for a showdown with Tennessee in Week 8, Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show on Friday, where he hit DeBoer with some incredible advice regarding how he needs to handle the pressure of following his legendary tenure in Tuscaloosa.

“I think that anytime you have a successful coach — I felt that a little bit when I was coach at Michigan State, because George Perles had won the Big Ten Championship there. Of course, I was on his staff, you know, back then as defensive coordinator, and (he) had a lot of people who really believed in, you know, what he did, you know, the discipline, the culture that he created and all that. So when I went there, I was expected to do things almost exactly like he did them because I had been on the staff. But yet, through the years, I’ve learned some other ways to do things because of being with [Bill] Belichick and, you know, some people like that. So sometimes I felt a little like, ‘Why aren’t you doing it a certain way?’ But I do think that this is a tough transition for Kalen,” Saban told McAfee, regarding DeBoer’s challenge.

“Anytime you take over a successful program, I don’t want to be judgmental about what they do, because I think he has to do what he does his way. You know, he can’t be me, can’t try to be somebody that he isn’t. I think there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and I actually think the guy’s been successful, and I think his way will work. I just think it’s adjustment for a lot of the fans and the people, but I think he’ll win them over, because he’s a good guy and he’s a good coach, and he’s got a good system and a good organization, and I’m just trying to be supportive and helpful any way that I can, so he can make a smooth transition.”

One area Saban believes has been overlooked is the amount of talent Alabama lost in the transfer portal after his departure. While DeBoer offset some of the exodus with his additions, the Crimson Tide certainly lost some studs.

“I think one thing that doesn’t get acknowledged is the fact that when I retired, there were 26 players that transferred,” Saban added. “You know, Isaiah Bond was a pretty good player. He would be an impact player if he was still at Alabama, especially with some of the players that, you know, they have now. So then [Kadyn] Proctor leaves, then he comes back. Caleb Downs is — I mean, I looked at all the guys in the draft last year, because I did the draft. He was a freshman, and if he was a junior or senior in the draft, he would have been probably the first safety taken in the draft. So, that’s a pretty significant player. They really lost a lot, and people don’t talk about that.

“Now, they’ve got a few guys in, but I do think, you know, there’s going to be a transition, and he’s got to get his people in there, and he’ll get the opportunity to recruit them and do it, and I can’t make any predictions about the future in terms of what people’s patience are going to be, but they don’t have a lot of patience in Alabama. They have high expectations. You can’t get caught up in that, you’ve got to just focus on what you have to do to make the team play as well as you can. Don’t let any of that stuff affect you. That’s one of the things that I think allowed me to not lose my mind while I was there, because we got criticized every time we lost a game.”

While the past two weeks have been rough for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama, the Crimson Tide can rejuvenate their fanbase with a huge win over Tennessee this weekend. Nick Saban fell the last time he brought his team to Knoxville, so righting that wrong, in the eyes of Alabama fans, could go a long way for the new man on campus.