Kalen DeBoer has yet to match the standards set by Nick Saban at Tuscaloosa. Even though the Tide had a playoff win over Oklahoma last year, the embarrassing loss to Indiana gave the critics more to talk about. Heading into the 2026 season, the writing on the wall is clear: not only return to the SEC Championship game but also match the level of B1G teams like the Hoosiers. When asked about what needs to be done next campaign, DeBoer put things into perspective.

“I think we have come a long way in a lot of areas,” Alabama’s HC Kalen DeBoer said on Happy Hour with John Gaskins. “I think you got to make sure that those areas that became strengths, that you just don’t take for granted. You know, we were great in big moments, and how were we? We practiced them; we were very intentional, we were disciplined, and we played hard; we never gave up.

“I’m never gonna sell our guys short. I don’t put a number on the wins because I don’t want to undersell what we are capable of doing. Some people always ask, going back many years ago, like, what’s a successful season for you? I’ll never put a win number because a lot of times we win more games than what I probably would have said was successful.”

DeBoer’s Sioux Falls team suffered a 55-0 loss to Carroll College in 2005. Despite such a blowout loss, he noted that the players were ready to get back to work and improve. That paid off as the team won three championships in the next four years. The Alabama head coach also had similar games at Fresno State and Washington. These references become important with the Tide ending their 2025 campaign with a 3-38 loss to Indiana.

In hindsight, Alabama was a mixed bag last year. The offense struggled in the second half, but at one point, DeBoer’s team was dismantling ranked opponents in the SEC every week. The Tide traveled to Athens and ended Kirby Smart’s long unbeaten streak at home. Similarly, they were impressive on both sides of the ball against Vandy, Missouri, and Tennessee.

It was never going to be like Nick Saban.

Even the former Bama head coach struggled to a degree when he started life in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer is still the same person who took Washington to the national championship game and has produced results at every coaching stop. But for a fanbase used to playing meaningful football in the postseason, patience may not come as easily as it seems. But it’s never hard either.

Last year, a major source of frustration was the team being dominated in the trenches. The run game was nonexistent throughout the campaign. The poor O-line play didn’t help Ty Simpson, who was already dealing with a lingering injury issue. The losses may be accepted if the fans see their team compete. That’s not what happened in the games against Georgia (SEC Championship) and Indiana.

As a result, DeBoer fired OL coach Chris Kapilovic and replaced him with Adrian Klemm. He also promoted Bryan Ellis to QB coach after Nick Sheridan left for Michigan State. Richard Owens has come in to coach the tight ends. The program has shown its faith in the head coach by giving him a contract extension, but that would mean little if Alabama starts the next season on a bad note.

Alabama’s championship-winning odds

With the 2026 season two months away, analysts and oddsmakers have already started giving out their championship team predictions. And Fanduel also raised its CFP National Championship odds, where Ohio State leads the rankings with +550. But there’s also Alabama with +2500 odds.

Despite a tough season, the odds are still in their favor. Well, looking at their schedule, that seems like a possible task. They start against East Carolina, and then there’s Kentucky before they face FSU. Now, Kalen DeBoer and his team should learn from last year’s mistake and win this one against Mike Norvell’s team. Then there’s South Carolina and MS State.

The real test starts after that with games against Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Vanderbilt. Then, after the hard SEC stretch, there’s Chattanooga and its rivals, Auburn. So, now it will be interesting to see how Kalen DeBoer’s non-number-driven approach works out for the team.