At the dawn of the 2026 season now, many Alabama fans have one question: Why should a team that was a conveyor belt of silverware under Nick Saban keep Kalen DeBoer in its camp? DeBoer’s 2-year tenure in Alabama has been far from remarkable, marked by playoff struggles and losses against teams like Vanderbilt. So why stick with DeBoer? One of his former tight ends explains why the Tide is convinced they’re on the verge of something big.

Former Alabama and Washington tight end Josh Cuevas is preparing for the NFL draft now and appeared for an interview yesterday at the Senior Bowl. He was put forth the question of what he feels separates Kalen DeBoer from a legendary head coach like Nick Saban, and what should excite Bama fans about the head coach?

“I’ve never played under Coach Saban,” Cuevas said. “I’ve always been with Coach DeBoer from Washington up until now. But I can say that the fans need to have the utmost trust in coach DeBoer. He knows how to take a team and turn them into a national championship team. And once everybody’s really bought into his process, I think he’s going to do great things with that program.”

That emphasis on buy-in matters. Because not everyone thought that DeBoer, with his laidback and approachable manner, had what it takes to run the program. And Cuevas’ analysis matters more than one would think here. The 6’3″ and 256 lbs tight end was part of Kalen DeBoer’s 2023 Washington squad that made it to the national championship final. He played all 15 games in the season as a pass-blocking tight end and totaled 164 yards in just four receptions. In truth, Cuevas is an eyewitness to the work that Kalen DeBoer put in to turn around a 4-win Washington team into a national championship team in just two years! That turnaround didn’t happen overnight, nor was it smooth too.

If you look back at Kalen DeBoer’s coaching trajectory, Alabama was never in his cards. He started as a WRs coach at the NAIA’s University of Sioux Falls and turned it into a powerhouse after becoming its head coach in 2005. During that period, the Cougars went 67-3 and won 3 NAIA national championships. In the process, DeBoer built extensive relationships there, especially with Ryan Grubb, who worked on a meagre $3,000 salary.

“It wasn’t much fun preparing for Kalen, but I always enjoyed watching what he did offensively because he was just amazing,” NIAI’s Carroll Fighting Saints’ head coach Mike Van Diest said. “They were always up there, No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 in total offense.” That success translated to Washington, too. But the team had to trust DeBoer and give him time.

Washington trusted DeBoer despite lesser credentials as a D1 coach and reaped massive dividends. That time, Iowa’s State’s Matt Campbell seemed a safer bet. Instead, Washington AD Jen Cohen bet on DeBoer despite his limited Power Five head coaching résumé at Fresno State. And the payoff was huge.

DeBoer mastered the offense and placed the Huskies in the top 10 in both years. But what stood out in Kalen DeBoer’s approach was his newfound approach in building chemistry and making world-class players out of overlooked talent. The 51-year-old brought Michael Penix Jr., even when Husky fans showed widespread backlash to his QB1 status. But when all was set and done, Penix was the Heisman finalist and one of the best QBs for the team in recent memory.

A similar case was with other players that Kalen DeBoer brought. RBs like Dillon Johnson and Wayne Taulapapa had no takers in the portal. Jabbar Muhammad at CB came as another overlooked player, and Germie Bernard, Will Nixon, and Josh Cuevas also didn’t have illustrious careers before Washington. DeBoer didn’t just recruit talent; he built a rapport, a level of trust and confidence in those relationships.

That, according to Cuevas, is the part of the process Alabama fans may be underestimating right now.

Alabama should find a different lens to judge Kalen DeBoer, away from Nick Saban’s standards

Kalen DeBoer stopped players like Penix, Odunze, and McMillan from going to the NFL, despite being top picks, and persuaded them to come for another season after the Huskies finished 11-2 in 2022. When comparing everything as to how Nick Saban approached recruiting and maintained relationships at Alabama, DeBoer’s approach almost feels poles apart. And in some ways it surely is.

“I think you can win a lot of football games with good scheme and good coaching and good players, obviously,” Kalen DeBoer outlines. “But there’s got to be just another level of chemistry, and the bond that exists needs to be just elite if you’re gonna win championships because it gets harder and harder to do every year.”

Saban was obsessed with getting top recruits and went to great lengths to do the same. Discipline was key in his tenure, and every player had to give his all, trusting his process. That worked for Alabama, and the program had unprecedented success. But ask if the same strategy could work in this NIL era, where players switch camps on moments notice? All things considered, the job that Kalen DeBoer is doing at Alabama is bound to reap dividends. All he needs is an independent judgment, not seeing him from Nick Saban’s standards, and keeping faith in the 3rd year HC. Rest will ofcourse follow as it did at Washington and in his NAIA tenure at Sioux Falls.