Nick Saban: Kalen DeBoer 'one of the few guys that could have done this as seamlessly as it's been'

The shoes Kalen DeBoer had to fill this offseason left footprints decorated with six national championships. Those footprints, and those shoes, belong to Nick Saban.

Saban’s surprise retirement in January was followed by DeBoer’s hire.

The transition of power between the greatest coach in college football history and DeBoer, an accomplished and fast-rising power conference program frontman, could have been awkward.

It wasn’t, according to Saban, who joined “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday ahead of a Week 5 clash between No. 4 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia in Tuscaloosa.

“Not at all,” Saban said. “He’s done a fabulous job, in my opinion, of transitioning, because this is probably the one of the most difficult things, too.

“If you take over an unsuccessful program, everybody welcomes the change, everybody welcomes the new hope that is created by having a new coach. But when you take over a successful program, you know, how are people going to respond to you? And how are you going to be accepted? And how are the changes you make going to be accepted?”

Saban continued: “But he’s showing no ego in taking over. He’s and I have a really good relationship, and the changes that he’s made still put his sort of stamp on things. So I’ve been really impressed with him. I think maybe he’s one of the few guys that could have done this as seamlessly as it’s been for for him and the players.”

DeBoer arrived at Alabama after leading Washington to a Pac-12 title and a national title game appearance in 2023. Before that, DeBoer spent two seasons at Fresno State, the second of which saw him guide the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the Mountain West. And before that, DeBoer piloted Sioux Falls to a trio of NAIA championships.

DeBoer has hit the ground running at Alabama this season and now has a 107-12 career record as a head coach. The Crimson Tide, who brought back only 54% of their 2023 production according to ESPN, are off to a 3-0 start. Alabama took down Western Kentucky, 63-0, in the opener. Since, DeBoer’s squad, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Jalen Milroe at quarterback, has defeated USF and Wisconsin by a combined score of 84-26.

While winning on the road at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium is a feather in DeBoer’s cap, this week’s clash with Georgia is a significantly greater test. It’s arguably the Crimson Tide’s biggest test of the regular season — they have to play at No. 5 Tennessee on Oct. 19 as well — and it’s a matchup that’s become a staple of the sport.

Saban and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, Alabama’s defensive coordinator from 2008-15, had some memorable head-to-heads over the last decade, most notably two national title games (2017 and 2021 seasons). Although Georgia beat Alabama to win the whole thing in the 2021 season, Saban had the clear upper hand in the series with his former assistant.

Can DeBoer continue Alabama’s recent dominance over Georgia? That’s a big question coming into Saturday.

One thing’s clear: Saban’s impressed with what his successor has done so far.