“Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time. His impact on the game, his ability to adapt, and the way he shaped young men are unmatched. I owe so much of my career to him.” Kirby Smart learned his craft from Nick Saban at Alabama, and hence, the praise was natural. Not just Smart, Nick Saban, in his 17 years at Alabama, hosted a plethora of coaching revolutionaries who are gracing the college football field right now. Be it Lane Kiffin, Dan Lanning, Billy Napier, or Mario Cristobal. They all branched out from the Saban tree. But this wasn’t the only contribution of Saban at Alabama.

The head coach won 6 national titles and 11 SEC championships in his 17 years. There was no award left that Saban hadn’t seen and no player feat that Saban didn’t help execute. Now enters Kalen DeBoer, coming off a national championship final against Michigan in 2023, and in just his first season, he went 9-4. For any other first-year head coach, 9-4 must have been a monumental feat. For teams like Auburn, it would be a breakthrough. But Alabama? Well, for the Tides, 9-4 is a stat that gets you fired. It’s been ingrained in their legacy; it’s playoff or bust. It’s as simple as that. This brings us to our looming question: What lies ahead for Kalen DeBoer?

Cousin Shane in the 16th May episode of ‘The SEC Football Podcast’ spoke about the rare feat that Saban had done at Alabama and how no head coach would be able to do that, not even Kalen DeBoer. “I mean, Alabama was the last dynasty. I felt like, and even then, you know, it wasn’t like the Oklahoma run. It wasn’t like the Nebraska run. It was, you know, there’s been some runs in the past, but yeah, I don’t think any other is going to have that success.”

The host even talked about a recent golf tournament in Alabama, where both Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer were present. Flocks of the crowd followed Saban there, but rarely anyone recognized DeBoer, even when he went into the national final with Washington and was Alabama’s head coach. That’s the level of ‘pull’ Saban has even in sports that have no relation whatsoever with football. So, does that make Kalen DeBoer a bust or unsuccessful?

It’s unfair to compare Kalen DeBoer with Nick Saban, and it’s even unfair for Alabama fans to expect the type of title runs they had with Saban. This is Cousin Shane, also highlighted, but presented a grim scenario. “Unfortunately, if he (Kalen DeBoer) doesn’t produce soon, like within the next two to three years, two and a half years, I feel like they’re going to try to find somebody that can because again, what Sabin has created is the standard down there, you know, playoffs or bust. That’s exactly what they’re doing every year.”

Well, we can urge the fans all day to expect less from Alabama now, but the level of success they have seen will always raise their hopes. So, it’s a harsh reality that Kalen DeBoer will always be measured with at least a percentage of Saban’s scale. And if he fails to produce those playoff seasons? Well, the Tides would surely find someone else. For now, though, things look optimistic for the 2025 season since the head coach has produced a 3rd-ranked class nationally and roped in 13 transfers to alleviate the woes that the team faced last season.

Kalen DeBoer finally clears his stance on QB1

The quarterback battle at Alabama has been going on for more than two months now. We saw Keelon Russel, Ty Simpson, and Austin Mack battle it out in the spring games. And even when the games ended, there was no clear frontrunner. Sure, there was some speculation regarding Ty Simpson being the QB1, but was it solid? No! Now, the head coach, Kalen DeBoer, has come with even more intrigue in his latest 14 May presser.

“It doesn’t (end). The competition always continues. That’s this year. That’s any year.” Based on how DeBoer has approached the QB1 race, the winner will clearly not be announced anytime soon. “The biggest thing for them, the message is that they all got to keep getting better for us to accomplish what we want. They’re great kids, and they understand that. And they have high goals for themselves individually and also [for] our whole team.”

The message is simple: Kalen DeBoer probably wants the same that Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze wanted from his QBs in his latest verdict. That is, breathing down each other’s necks and keeping each other on their toes. This surely will bring the best QB out at the end of it? But how will the QBs share reps with this much crowd?