Nick Saban was sorely missed in Kalen DeBoer’s first season. A 17-season-long legacy was difficult for the HC to continue. Anyone in DeBoer’s shoes would have faced the same troubles. A safe 9-4 finish last year has the second-year HC going back to the drawing board to analyze where he could have done better. Now settling in as Alabama‘s head coach, DeBoer made some key staff changes, one of which cost the program $2 million. However, this new staff member has already instilled confidence in Alabama fans, who saw him as the man capable of bolstering the Crimson Tide this year.

The optimism only grew when the new OC, Ryan Grubb, said, “Third time’s the charm” in his first media appearance after taking the Alabama job. Saban was hoping to get Grubb as his OC before the 2023 season to carry over from Bill O’Brien. That season saw Grubb and Kalen DeBoer re-energize the Washington program after the Chris Petersen era. The Huskies finished first in passing yards per game. And, the offense ranked second in the country. The next season, the Grubb helped Washington win the Pac-12 conference and also book a spot in the National Championship game against Michigan. Now in Tuscaloosa, he’s expected to elevate an already potent offense into one of the most dangerous units in the country.

Stephen M Smith of the Bama Standard Network thinks that Grubb’s presence will fill the void left by Nick Saban. “When you look at Nick Saban, this was a fiery, aggressive, in-your-face, disciplined, detail-oriented, I’m on your head, get-it-done-right, no-nonsense, defensive-minded coach… But when you look at those same personalities in a younger guy who just so happens to be an offensive-minded head coach, here is Ryan Grubb,” he said, in a June 21 video. Ryan Grubb leans towards a belligerent mindset while shaping his offense. His style is aggression-heavy, an element that will remind fans of Nick Saban’s style.

A reason why Grubb declined Saban’s offer earlier was due to his already established familiarity and ease at Washington. He told the press that he didn’t want to leave players like Michael Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, and more. The former Huskies QB totaled more than 8000 yards in the two years that Grubb handled the offense. In 2022, Penix led the FBS in yards per game. Smith also mentions Grubb’s development of Dillon Johnson, who rushed for 1,195 yards and scored 19 TDs. Grubb striking that same magic with Ty Simpson will work nothing but wonders for Alabama.

The fiery presence on Alabama’s sidelines is back in the form of Ryan Grubb. “Having a guy that schemes out this offense to where you can take the top off the defense and score whenever you want to, but you can also line that ball up, put a man on a man, and pound that rock and break teams into submission, running the football at any time you want to. Grubb is getting that done here, people.” The new OC will take over from Nick Sheridan, despite the latter remaining with the Alabama staff this season.

The offense may be sorted with Grubb taking control. But Kalen DeBoer is now seeking out Nick Saban’s help to bring a new life to his recruitment campaign.

Kalen DeBoer seeks Nick Saban’s help in major recruiting weekend

After 2023, the veteran coach bid goodbye to a program that maintained its blue-blood status for 17 seasons. His association with Alabama saw some of the best talents choose the Tide as their college football home. From 2011 to 2017, Saban ruled the college football recruiting, having No. 1 classes throughout that tenure (according to 247Sports Composite). He helped shape guys like Derrick Henry and Jalen Milroe, and also recruited his likely successor, Ty Simpson. DeBoer, on the other hand, is yet to make a resounding impact on his targets as Alabama’s HC. So, he roped Saban in to give his efforts a little push.

Kalen DeBoer is currently hosting some key targets at Tuscaloosa as part of an important recruiting weekend. Nick Saban joined him to help close the deal with these recruits. This can help DeBoer move further ahead in the charts of 5-star prospect Anthony ‘Tank’ Jones, Ezavier Crowell, and Cederian Morgan, who are among the top talents visiting Tuscaloosa. Who better than the figure synonymous with Alabama football to help close the deal for the state’s top recruits? Alabama has only 8 commits so far, with the only 5-star talent being CB Jorden Edmonds.

Nick Saban and Alabama will never be able to disassociate themselves from each other. For posterity, the veteran coach will always be in fans’ hindsight, as Alabama football moves on without him. However, they can expect that same fiery personality in Ryan Grubb. Kalen DeBoer, on the other hand, will hope that the iconic coach’s presence might help him move the needle for his best targets in the recruiting class.