Kalen DeBoer explains what's made it 'special' since replacing Nick Saban as Alabama head coach

Kalen DeBoer coached Sioux Falls to three NAIA championships, Fresno State to a second-place finish in the Mountain West and, most recently, Washington to Pac-12 title and to a national title game appearance. But, fair or unfair, his legacy will likely be shaped by what he does at Alabama. He replaced Nick Saban, widely regarded as the greatest coach in college football history, this offseason.

And, now in Week 5, DeBoer finds himself in first referendum game, a top-five showdown in his new backyard between his No. 4 Crimson Tide and the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs.

DeBoer joined “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday and previewed the matchup. But, first, McAfee asked DeBoer about his first regular season on the job, one of the most high-profile positions in sports.

“I think there’s different phases you go through,” DeBoer said. “I think the thing that covers it all is it’s still the work of being a head coach, and wherever you’re at, there’s the same things, whether it’s recruiting or just bringing your team together, building a staff. I think no matter where you’re at, it’s all under that umbrella.”

That said, there’s no denying DeBoer’s experience in Tuscaloosa. He took over a program that won six national titles under Saban, who restored the Crimson Tide to national prominence.

“I think your question is alluding to all the other stuff that comes along with it, and it’s been special,” DeBoer said in response to McAfee.

“Our fan base and the passion that they have, our players, just all the different elements that come together: It’s been fun to be a part of, and I’m looking forward to all the great things that come along with the ‘GameDay’ environment being here [this weekend]. That’ll be not my first one overall but my first one here, and it’s going to be special.

DeBoer added: “But yeah, Coach Saban’s been great. … A lot of things with Coach Saban being in the program that [we’re not necessarily trying to] live up to but just things that we want to continue to carry on when it comes to the tradition of excellence that existed here for so many years.”

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

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 also joined “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday ahead of the 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.”