Clark Lea enters Alabama matchup with admiration for Kalen DeBoer, his rise up coaching ranks

Clark Lea and Kalen DeBoer have known each other for a long time, and their paths are set to cross once again on Saturday when No. 1 Alabama travels to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Lea, who coached against DeBoer when he was the head coach at Sioux Falls, reflected on the first time he met DeBoer and how he’s continued to rise in the coaching ranks.

“I was at South Dakota State, and that was my first full time job,” Lea told reporters on Tuesday. “I think we were both still pretty young, if I could say that, but we were certainly young then. And Kalen had already built a great reputation as a head coach, and I used to see him at clinics. It’s been a lot of fun to follow his career because I admire the way he worked his way up through the ranks.

“He was always someone that stood out as as a good person first, and is really skilled football coach. Every step along the way he’s proven both of those things to be true, and obviously is off to a great start at Alabama.”

Lea spent two seasons from 2007 to 2008 at South Dakota State, whereas DeBoer was the head coach of Sioux Falls from 2005-2009. By the time Lea joined SDSU’s staff, DeBoer had already won his first NAIA Championship and was on his way to two more before leaving the program.

Both coaches careers have taken drastically different routes in the years following — but it’s all led them to coaching in the SEC together at the same time. Vanderbilt’s matchup against Alabama may serve as a bit of inspiration for those coaching lower-division college football or high school that perhaps they can one day be in that position as well.

Kickoff between the Commodores and Crimson Tide is set for 4:15 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network.