Kalen DeBoer places emphasis on connecting with Alabama football alumni

When Nick Saban was the head coach at Alabama, Crimson Tide alumni spent many a day around the program after they left. That is still an emphasis under Kalen DeBoer, who wants to maintain that connection with the legends of Alabama past.

Since succeeding Saban in January, DeBoer has continued to preserve the program’s history. He doesn’t want the players on the current roster to forget those who came before them, and he keeps the door open for former players who want to come back to Tuscaloosa.

That group includes Mark Ingram, who spoke with DeBoer on The Triple Option about bringing back alumni. The coach said those relationships extend beyond the head coach, and he wants Alabama to be a place former players want to come back and visit whenever they can.

“You’re one of many greats that made this place what it is and made this job special, made playing here at Alabama special,” DeBoer told Ingram. “We’re all alumni from somewhere, and we always want that. And I wanted to go back to the University of Sioux Falls and enjoy the relationships and the people there, and know that it’s always home. I always think about it that way.

“When I came here, I want the alumni to always know that this should always be home, no matter if it’s a different head coach or if it’s 10 years, 20 years, 30 years down the road. This is always home. You made this place what it is.”

Kalen DeBoer hasn’t shied away from the task of replacing Saban at Alabama. He told the legendary coach he’s welcome back around the program, and the two have spoken multiple times since the transition. The fact that the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium now bears Saban’s name speaks to the impact he had – and is still being felt around the program.

That’s why DeBoer wants to continue honoring Saban and all he did during his time in Tuscaloosa. He set the standard, and Alabama has to continue living up to it even though the GOAT is now on TV every Saturday with College GameDay.

“I just know that you embrace that,” DeBoer said. “It’s a privilege to be here and Coach Saban deserves all that. I’m sure Coach Saban said the same about the other greats that came before him. Again, it’s made what this program is because of the work that he’s put in.

“The way I look at it, though, is someone like Coach Saban who pours everything into this program and makes it what it is, there is an element of he didn’t want it to lose all its luster of what it’s become.”