Nick Saban reveals 'most important thing' Kalen DeBoer must do in 2024 with Alabama

Alabama football is entering a brand new era and are without Nick Saban on their sideline for the first time in 15+ seasons. However, the old head coach admires how the new guy has handled his first few months.

Saban may not be an SEC head football coach any longer, but the Crimson Tide legend still loomed large as SEC Media Days kicked off in 2024. Except this time, he actually needs a media credential to get through the doors. In fact, Nick Saban even admitted he was denied entry to the event when he forgot his credentials.

So, when speaking as a media correspondent from SEC Media Days with Mike Greenberg on Get Up Monday morning, Greenberg asked what it’s like for Saban to watch the Alabama program from afar under Kalen DeBoer. Of course, Nick Saban had nothing but praise for his successor.

“Well, I think, first of all, Kalen has done a really good job with the transition,” said Saban, then outlining how DeBoer can establish himself early on in the dogfight that will be the SEC in 2024.

“But I think the most important thing for him is, you know, how do we get started? Can we play with consistency early?” asks Saban. With so much newness across the Alabama roster and staff, a hot start could be important in uniting this group, says the former Tide coach.

“You got players buying into a new offense, players buying into a new defense. So, for them to have some success early would go a long way to solidify that buy-in so they can play with confidence and be successful in the future,” Saban added.

Unlike in some recent years, Alabama does not open the year with a blockbuster non-conference matchup. Instead, that game comes in Week 3 as Alabama travels to Wisconsin. But first, the Tide will have a chance to get out to a hot start with matchups vs. Western Kentucky and USF the first two weeks.

As Nick Saban noted, establishing momentum early on will be key for Kalen DeBoer in year one with a daunting schedule kicking in starting with Week 3.

Now out of the game, Saban joined ESPN this past February shortly after announcing his retirement from a 50-year coaching career. Notably, he will be featured the College GameDay desk this season ahead of kickoff on Saturday mornings this fall. When the network announced his addition, the plan was for him to be at SEC Media Days, and he headlines the impressive list of analysts who will be at the event.