Kalen DeBoer excited about 'momentum' he sees early in Alabama's offseason

MOBILE, Ala. – Year 1 of the Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama ended with a disappointing finish.

After missing out on the first-ever, 12-team College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide lost to a Michigan team that had several top players opt out, while Alabama had none, in the ReliaQuest Bowl. DeBoer’s first season concluded in Tampa, Florida, with a 9-4 (5-3 SEC) record, which saw the Tide program’s impressive streak of 10-win campaigns end at 16.

DeBoer voiced his displeasure after the 19-13 loss to the Wolverines, and that still sits with the Alabama head coach as he, his staff and his players shift their focus to the 2025 season.

“We know that we need to be better,” said DeBoer on Tuesday at the Senior Bowl. “That’s the expectation I had from Day 1, is that we perform at a championship level, and we certainly fell short of that. Whether you’re 0-12 or 12-0 in a regular season, you’re always gonna really critique and be detailed on how you’ve gotta improve. 

“I appreciate what our staff is doing, what our players are doing to really look inward, work together and continue to move forward.”

DeBoer enters a more normal offseason after taking over at Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement. A year ago, he worked to retain as much of the Tide’s roster as possible while filling in the gaps via the transfer portal. This year, while UA experienced turnover with 23 players transferring and 11 entering the 2025 NFL Draft, there is more roster control.

Before taking in Tuesday’s Senior Bowl practice, where four former Alabama players worked in front of NFL personnel, DeBoer and his coaching staff hit the recruiting trail as they continue to forge relationships across the state and Southeast. This time last year, DeBoer was learning names as opposed to seeing familiar faces, which was the case in 2025.

Not only is DeBoer in a better place from a recruiting standpoint, he likes what he has heard during the little time he has been able to spend in his office back in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

“There’s a lot of good things already happening,” DeBoer said. “It already feels a lot different internally as we turn the page into 2025, from the first team meeting, which was less than two weeks after our last bowl game. Just excited about what’s happening, the work that’s being put in. 

“I haven’t had a chance to be around the guys a lot just because we’ve been on the road recruiting. You only get a few days here, especially as a head coach, the only time of the year now in January you can get out.”

DeBoer and his coaching staff added the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class, and most of the 2025 signees are already on campus, ready to go through spring practice in early March. Alabama also welcomed back 11 draft-eligible players who could have turned pro but chose to return to play for DeBoer and company, giving the Crimson Tide experienced options in 2025.

Alabama will have to replace key starters on both sides of the ball and all three specialists from last year’s team, but it also has a lot of proven talent returning for next season.

“Really excited about the momentum we have with so many players choosing to continue their career here and build the stock that they have to get to the level that we’re talking about, going to the NFL,” DeBoer said.

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