Nick Saban shares initial impressions of Kalen DeBoer at Alabama

Kalen DeBoer was named as Nick Saban’s successor at Alabama on Jan. 12. Saban, who will remain in Tuscaloosa in his retirement, isn’t as involved in the program as one might think, the former Crimson Tide head coach has revealed.

“I haven’t been around. I really tried to stay at arm’s length,” Saban said on Monday. “I don’t want them to think I’m looking over anyone’s shoulder. I think he’s hired a good staff and I think he’s a good man. I think he’s a great coach and I think he’ll do a really good job.”

DeBoer’s first season as head coach at Alabama will be his third at the Power Five level — but it’s unlikely that fans will tolerate any time of learning curve. Since he’s been coaching at college football’s highest level, DeBoer has lost just three games and was undefeated against ranked opponents until Washington lost to Michigan in the national championship game this past season.

Since being named Alabama head coach, DeBoer has been tasked with building a new staff from scratch. As of this report, DeBoer has recently finished hiring his main coaching staff which include names like Nick Sheridan (OC), Kane Wommack (DC), Freddie Roach (DL, AHC) and more.

With that initial group, fans are expecting the Crimson Tide to continue on with the standard the Saban has set over the past 17 years.

Fans will be glad to know that success has followed DeBoer wherever he has gone. He’s 104-12 as a head coach across all levels and have three NAIA National Championships to his credit, winning them in a four-year period between 2006-2009. After multiple stops throughout the Division I level, he became a head coach once again in 2020 and went on to coach Fresno State to a 9-3 season in 2021 before moving on to Washington.

Now that DeBoer has his staff in place, he can focus his attention on retaining the rest of Alabama’s roster and recruits. Departures are common place during any coaching turnover, and Saban leaving the program was bound to see a handful of players leave. It’s on DeBoer reaching into the transfer portal and recruit the same level of players that Saban was brining in for so long.

The Kalen DeBoer era will kick off inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky. Alabama is wasting no time testing itself early, as it also has the Tide opening SEC play against Georgia at home.