Kalen DeBoer has weathered an early storm at Alabama, is proving a fish out of water can swim in SEC circles

My oh my, how the tenor has certainly changed around Tuscaloosa over the last few days, huh?

Roughly two weeks into the Kalen DeBoer era, Alabama football isn’t quite the sinking ship many of its SEC rivals hoped after an initial tough transition period. 

Despite facing the unprecedented challenge of the 30-day transfer window — when the Tide could really only play roster defense — DeBoer has weathered the storm of potential defections by keeping the core of the team in town. Of Alabama’s 28 transfers this cycle, just 10 have departed the program since DeBoer was hired. 

There’s no sugarcoating the exoduses of the likes Caleb Downs, Kadyn Proctor, Julian Sayin or Dezz Ricks — all 5-stars who figured to play pivotal roles for the Tide the next few seasons had Nick Saban remained the head coach. And even the departures of Isaiah Bond and Amari Niblack sting, but all in all, Alabama’s roster could be in a lot worse shape.

“There was a little bit of time where there was some uncertainty, and I think we’ve really kind of calmed things down and feeling good about the direction and what’s going to happen here this spring,” DeBoer said on The Pat McAfee Show.

“The core of our team is right here and they have a chip on their shoulder. They want to win that national championship. They had it right there in their grasp and these guys are already turning the page and moving on and excited about what our new staff is going to do building on what Coach Saban has done here for many years.”

Downs, Proctor and Bonds are big names and key contributors, and Alabama saw a ton of talent head to the NFL Draft, too, but as DeBoer acknowledged, “The cupboard is not bare with who’s here at this program from a player standpoint.”

DeBoer inherited the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class, including a trio of 5-star defensive backs, and snagged three of his former Washington players — promising quarterback Austin Mack, starting center Parker Brailsford and wide receiver Germie Bernard — out of the portal. That group, along with key returnees like quarterback Jalen Milroe, guard Tyler Booker, linebacker Deontae Lawson and safety Malachi Moore will be the nucleus of a team DeBoer expects to remain a championship contender next season. 

“They’re the heart and soul, they’re the ones that are going to bring this whole thing to life,” he said.

“I truly believe that because there was so much noise —and there still will be — noise outside the program. People who are trying to come in and just put a little doubt in their mind. They’ve really, the nucleus of this team and the program, these guys have stayed the course. Hunkered down and ready to go back to work and continue to prove some people right and also prove some people wrong. It depends what side of the line you’re on.”

DeBoer is 104-12 as a head coach, tasked with replacing not just a legend, but the greatest college football coach ever. No one has ever questioned his Xs and Os acumen, but DeBoer was an unconventional hire because he had no ties to the South and has never been a dogged recruiter. 

Well, the South Dakota native is still a fish out of water, but he’s quickly proving he can swim in SEC circles. He convinced the majority of Alabama’s current team to stick around for the spring, and he’s now answering one of the biggest unknowns surrounding his surprise hire: Can he recruit?

On Wednesday, DeBoer landed 5-star wideout Ryan Williams, beating out Auburn and Texas for the 2024 blue-chip prospect. Famously, Saban landed a commitment from an in-state 5-star receiver some 17 years ago, and a guy by the name of Julio Jones instantly added credibility to Saban’s takeover in Tuscaloosa. 

Williams, whose father played at Auburn and is seen as perhaps the best wideout talent in the class not named Jeremiah Smith, could have a similar impact for DeBoer. 

He’s the first Top 150 recruit DeBoer has ever reeled in, and the very next day, Alabama’s new coach doubled that total with a commitment from 4-star edge rusher Noah Carter.

It’s been a crazy two weeks, but the Tide is turning, and not in a way many were framing the Kalen DeBoer hire after a tough first few days. The ex-Washington head coach has assembled a quality staff, gotten buy-in from some key veterans on the team and already won a couple of marquee recruiting battles. 

The tone in Tuscaloosa is certainly different now, and all the noise about the doomed nature of a Tide program under new leadership looks premature. 

“I’ve had success a lot of places and I feel that can carry over,” DeBoer told McAfee. 

“A lot of times it’s just about simply building around people, the relationships and the Xs and Os, and things like that — football is football. I’m getting to know this part of the country very quickly. Not completely familiar with it, but got some people around me that certainly are. We’re hitting the ground running. I’m excited about building those relationships and making this next season — not waiting around. Not rebuilding, but reloading.”