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Returning Alabama captain sees difference in Kalen DeBoer in Year 2

1918632_10206777287683070_1367905321192383146_nby:Charlie Potter•04/07/25•

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Alabama Football
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer (Courtesy of UA Athletics)

Alabama’s second spring football season under head coach Kalen DeBoer’s watch is nearing its end. His players have noticed a different approach from DeBoer after a full year on the job.

“Coach DeBoer had his battles last year, replacing a legend like Coach Saban in the middle of the transfer portal, and it was hard to implement everything the way he wanted,” said Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson, who’s out this spring, to ESPN’s Chris Low.

“It was kinda hard for him to come in and be the bad cop or whatever last year. He’s still laid back and still wants the players to lead, but his fingerprints are on everything now – and he’s made it known that you better be locked in.”

What does DeBoer himself think of his players’ perspective of him in Year 2?

“It was more that we were in retention mode,” DeBoer told ESPN on Monday. “I wouldn’t say we slacked off on any of the things that would be the standard of what we need to do and how you need to operate.

“But I do think there’s another level of an edge, a harder edge.”

Alabama finished DeBoer’s first season with a 9-4 record and was left on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide suffered disappointing losses to Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Michigan but also defeated Georgia at home and LSU on the road.

But following both of its marquee wins, Alabama fell short the following week, losing in Nashville and Norman, with the latter, a 24-3 loss to the Sooners, sealing the Tide’s postseason fate. 

“That’s not the standard here, and we all know it,” Lawson said. “But you go back and look at the way Coach DeBoer handled it. He wasn’t pointing the finger at anybody else. He took it all on himself, and I think what you see now is everybody has bought in. We’re one.”

As the DeBoer enters its second year, the Alabama head coach sees similarities to his second season at other schools like Washington and Fresno State. Both stints experienced a significant jump, including a 14-1 record and national title game appearance at UW in 2023.

“Your relationships are deeper,” DeBoer said. “You establish that harder edge because of the understanding of what we need to do to accomplish it, and now, we have the experiences for the most part together, the staff and players.

“We’re more comfortable now calling each other out because our relationships are stronger, and we know that we all want the same thing. I feel like now we’re closer to having the alignment between staff and players and having the right people here. Everyone has an appreciation for what each other brings to the table.”

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