Everything Kalen DeBoer said to kick off South Florida game week

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer kicked off South Florida game week with a press conference on Monday. The Crimson Tide will face the Bulls at home in its second game of the 2024 football season on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 6 p.m. CT (on ESPN).

Below is everything DeBoer said during his Monday press conference of game week No. 2.

DeBoer’s opening statement…

“Working on this Monday, huh? It was a good weekend for us and it felt good to finally get on the field. Talked a lot about it and you guys were running out of questions to ask at some point here, because it was the same ones and not much to go off of with all the new staff. But it was good to get out there on the field.

“Really pleased with the way our guys sustained the energy. I’m not talking about just during the game, but really all week long. And got more and more excited really just from the beginning to the end. A lot of focus. We got a lot of guys out there on the football field and really felt like they were all ready to go.

“Never going to be perfect and a lot of things we can work on but I appreciate just where we’re at right now. It just kind of tells us where we’re at and what we need to be taking to the practice field here this week. A lot of different things popped up. I think maybe a question or two has been asked just about the communication and how that headset thing all went down at the beginning. We’ve had crackles. We’ve had times where it goes down for maybe three seconds, but just really having to change things up there, that was new.

“I think by Play 2 we had left tackle, left guard and center all out of the game for Play 2. So some interesting moments there, but really guys just worked through it. Just keeping their poise. That includes coaches. Coach Sheridan having to come down from the press box and then having to go back up and trying to figure out if you’re going to get caught in the middle of that.

“We’ll be fine that way. It’s just there really is a lot of communication that does happen, not just from him to the signalers but others as well. Just getting personnel on the field. We were fine. IT’s just different than the normal protocol. I think red zone, different parts of the game that we excelled on, it was good to see 4 for 4 offensively. We took a knee there at the end.

“Defensively, not giving up any scores on two attempts when they got in the red zone. The two takeaways early with Keon were really big with the momentum. Really got the crowd going in really 10 or 15 minutes, whatever it was where we take the field and everyone’s ready to go. And then all of the sudden that delay in the action. So Keon’s takeaways and a sack there early really got that momentum and energy back to our whole football team. 

“Really pleased with where we’re at Week 1 and looking forward to making those big steps that I think usually exist going from Week 1 to Week 2.”

DeBoer on Kadyn Proctor, Alabama’s offensive line…

“Kadyn’s got a shoulder situation there. It’s one that we will be able to manage. So that’s a positive. It will be just something that as we go through the week we’ll just continue to evaluate. It probably won’t be something early on we’ll be rolling with, but as the week goes on it will be something we can continue to valuate and be hopeful for.

“When it comes to the offensive line and just the way they executed, I give Elijah a lot of credit. Has maybe played just a couple of practices early in camp at left tackle and for the most part was at right tackle. I think he and Book took some pride in really trying to have a great game there and kind of rise up in the midst of that adversity. The big touchdown to Justice where we pulled both the right guard and the right tackle, that was fun to see. I thought there was some physicality on the front side and then the pull doing a good job of adapting to what the defense was doing.

“And the trust that I think exists is probably something that’s undervalued, the trust from the first puller to the second puller to our tailback with Justice carrying the ball. So that comes through repetition. That comes through talking about it. Protection-wise, they got to us early with just one sack. But for the most part I think our quarterbacks really felt comfortable back there. There was times when we picked up the protection and I know Jalen had that explosive run there when we were deep in our own territory. That’s a tribute to the offensive line and our tailback all doing their jobs and Jalen trusting in it.

“And then when the seas parted, kind of abort the pass attempt and use your legs and just go takeoff. That’s what I love to see from him on that play.”

DeBoer on Jalen Milroe’s progress after last year’s USF game…

“I thought being decisive at the end of the season was something that I was really wanting to make sure he carried over — just playing ball, finding ways to move the chains. You get so caught up in this play, you’re supposed to read it right to left — or you’re supposed to read the safety. There’s so many things with checks. Then there’s a point where you just got to go play ball. I think that’s something that he just got more and more accustomed to. I felt like that’s what he did on Saturday.

“There wasn’t a lot of opportunities — he didn’t take that many snaps. He only threw it — he threw it less than 10 times. Not a big sample size there. But when he did have those opportunities, I thought he took off. I loved the touchdown pass to K-Law, where he stepped up, was decisive, had his eyes downfield. You know he could run with the football. But the eyes of the defense being on him, flipping it out there and making a really accurate pass. Those are things that are undervalued. K-Law being able to attack the ball, hit it on the run, kind of having a feel for the defense. There was people at his legs, K-Law’s leg. So that’s the difference between a six, seven, eight, 10 yards gain and a touchdown.

“Just little subtleties like that I think were things I was impressed with Jalen. Couple times here and there, I mean, he only had two incompletions. So you’re really getting down to what could we have done on those two incompletions. Communication, just always trying to make that better — I thought that was really good, but always trying to make it better. Communication to the line, just all the way across the board. Coming on the sideline, I really enjoyed getting with him on the sideline. I thought he was really locked in. The iPads, and all of that, I really thought he utilized that to his advantage, along with the rest of the staff — both sides of the ball.

“Really kind of a game-changer when you look at it, getting that instant feedback and instant information to confirm what you thought happened and be on the same page and be able to move forward. Some good steps, obviously, early in the season.”

DeBoer on managing time now in season and with Sunday practices…

“I think early — early would be this fall camp, and even this summer, when I kind of showed them the schedule of what a normal week would look like there — they kind of wondered what Sunday would be all about. But I think they went through it and really felt good about putting last week’s game kind of to bed. It being over, and getting a little bit of work in, even kind of just a couple things they can identify watching film now that we threw at them or showed them yesterday, just real late in the day. I think they feel like they probably got a head start.

“Now today is a day where they’re off their feet and really kind of getting their bodies back to where tomorrow morning, you turn around and you got a lot of good energy. I think they see the way the schedule comes together now to benefit them. Doesn’t mean you can’t do it other ways, but that’s just the way we make it all work together.”

DeBoer on Wilkin Formby…

“I thought, Wilkin, I saw some energy and some excitement out of him. We had some big plays there. I love that. I thought from a game standpoint, very pleased with the steps I feel like he’s taken — not just even from spring ball, but even through fall camp. It’s always about progress, right? It’s always about improving, and he’s certainly doing that. He’s raising his level of physicality, he’s raising his level of communication and talking. Being on the same page as Jaeden next to him.

“I thought there was physicality. I think there was some — I used the word decisiveness with the quarterback — I felt like he was very decisive, and really never looking uncomfortable on, ‘I’m supposed to block this guy,’ or assignment-wise. Coach Kap, I think, had all those guys really locked in, and Wilkin would have been part of that. So good place to start the season with his effort and execution here after Week 1.”

DeBoer on if returning guys have extra energy for this year’s South Florida game…

“I think there’s a piece they probably remember, but I didn’t experience that with them. So it’s not like I’m really drawing on that, reminding them that it was a closer game. And that falls in line with what one of our pieces of our program is, is to respect all and fear none. So that respect factor was there this last week. It’s gonna be there again this week. And I’m sure that there’s certain guys that went through that, as you’re suggesting, that have a different type of determination on top of what we’re trying to do with this 2024 team, but I think we’re really trying to make it about this season, this team and trying to take the next steps that are necessary here going into Week 2.”

DeBoer on if he got any flack for adding captain patches to Alabama’s uniforms…

“I haven’t because they probably hadn’t seen it or known about it until the game, right? But that still hasn’t happened since. I think the tradition before, right, was more of the captains at the end of the year, so that was something that you weren’t gonna do during the season. Just kind of something that I’ve done wherever I’ve been. We have a unity group, a leadership group. I met with them real briefly here this morning and just kind of going over the whole week, the weekend, anything that they just wanted to add where they felt we were at with our mindset in particular.

“But then you have your captains, and I know I’ve mentioned before I thought the team did a great job. And I think it’s an honor to be a captain, and along with that, I’ve always like to have it understood through the C on the jersey, which I think is really cool for those guys to be able to wear.”

DeBoer on how three touchdowns by running backs give the offense confidence…

“And a couple of them were explosive plays. So I think it’s confidence all around. It’s confidence that the offensive line will make those seams for you. Jam’s play, just a lot of chaos happening out there with our guys hitting blocks and moving people and Jam hitting that seam. It goes both ways. If we get our job done offensive line-wise, the tailback’s gonna do his. If I read it right as a tailback, the offensive line’s gonna fit the blocks up right.

“So yeah, running for 300-plus yards, that’s something that I don’t take lightly. It’s the tailbacks, it’s Jalen – both quarterbacks actually did a nice job when their time came to go make plays. There’s a lot of threats. I think I’ve talked a lot about our threats on the outside and how that’s gonna look and that will continue to evolve as we get more opportunities to throw the ball. But the game was meant to played one way. You wear pads for a reason. It’s because it’s a physical game, so running the football is really important.”

DeBoer on if he spoke to Nick Saban before the game; this week’s field dedication…

“We talked actually before the game. He gave me a call on Thursday, and that was really cool for the guys. He wanted me to pass along that he’s thinking about them and wishing them the best and gonna be rooting for them. You can just tell how much he cares about not just the program but the individuals within it. So wanted to make sure I passed that along because I think that was important for them to here, important from both ends.

“And it’s gonna be an awesome night, having the field named in honor of Coach. That’s really, really something special. It’s one of those things where you’re gonna play in it and you know what’s happening but being a part of the ceremony is something the team really can’t do. We’re in the middle of probably pregame meal and some of that type of prep work. But just to have that, the whole honor for Coach Saban, everything he’s done here, I know how much that will mean to him. It’s something that I know we have a lot of respect for and gonna make sure that we continue to do everything we can to make it our house and protect our field from here on out just like it’s been in the 17 years that he was here.”

DeBoer on the long ball…

“That’s just part of the progression. The progression took Jalen to Ryan. That’s not the beginning of the progression on the first touchdown, in particular. For both of them, it was a later part of the progression. That says a lot about a lot of things. It says that the line did a good job protecting giving them, giving time with our tailback. And then both of those routes concepts, Jalen really working through the read and working to the very end. Might not have been the very last on one of them, but again, it says a lot. Just thinking about Jalen getting to Ryan, especially under the second touchdown, that’s coming across the middle, putting it where it needed to be, confidence as a receiver, when you’re running across the middle like that, that your quarterback’s not going to put you in a bad spot so Ryan can just focus on the football — and then breaking tackles, too, two guys right there.

“So I don’t feel like we rely on the long ball. I don’t feel like that’s what our offense is about. I feel like it’s a progression, but they’re usually big play opportunities that are built within really most of the concepts that we have. Situational stuff, too, you’re trying to move the sticks and you only need a few yards, maybe there’s not as many balls that are going to go down the field. That’s just situational awareness for a quarterback and also our playcaller. But we want that. We want that threat. We want the defensive coordinator, the defensive side of the ball that we’re facing, to always be fearful of someone could get down the field behind him. That helps us stretch both horizontally and vertically, the coverage that we’re seeing.”

DeBoer on South Florida’s tempo…

“Yeah, we saw changes of tempo this last week, and that’s something that we’ll be certainly focused on. It’s hard to simulate that in practice. We do have different ways you can do that within your scout team and communication, substitutions, you got to be really on your game as a coaching staff and the players being ready to find those opportunities where you can sub in, whether it’s a different package or just someone needing a breather. And then be able to get your cleats in the dirt and being able to be ready to when the ball’s snapped, get off the ball.

“When we were, which was most of the game able to do that, we got a consistent pass rush, and really felt like we executed well. There was a couple of times where we didn’t have that and we recovered. We kind of overwhelmed them sometimes this last week, but we need to make sure just we’re always ready to play. You need to get that first step on guys. And so that’s what a tempo is trying to do, is trying to catch you off guard, it’s trying to to not let you play fast or tire you out. And Coach Womack, he’s seen it. He’s very experienced. So it’s our staff. They’ll all do a good job preparing the guys this week.”

DeBoer on Alabama’s specialists…

“Burnip just had a really good he’s had a really good fall, all in all, and it did not surprise me that he was over 50 yards per kick. Did a nice job all night long. The snaps were all really good. Made all our kicks. The coverage units and everything got some got more touchbacks even as the game was going on. So I think our guys just got more uncomfortable, that was across the board with specialists, especially the new ones that are the kicking piece that maybe haven’t played in Bryant-Denny before, those guys getting more and more comfortable. Those are valuable reps for them.

“So even just extra points and just feeling what it’s like, the depth perception and all that that comes along with each stadium. But there should be a home field advantage piece to play it in your own. So all that stuff I thought was done on a high level.

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