Kalen DeBoer took a risk joining the Tide, knowing fully well the herculean task of succeeding the greatest coach in college football. This year, his team took a step forward and made it to the playoffs, but it hasn’t been an easy feat. The halo of Nick Saban hangs over his head every time the team loses a game. As they head into the Rose Bowl matchup against Indiana, DeBoer shared his thoughts on his predecessor’s legacy.

“He put all this time into this program to make it what it is. To me, the legacy continues when the program continues to grow, improve and be better, even when you’re done,” DeBoer said.

“I know he’s still rooting for the Crimson Tide. There are a lot of players on our team that he still recruited and brought in, and he cares about them,” the Bama head coach added.

Alabama football exists on a plane of its own, thanks to what Saban made out of the program. That’s why, unlike other programs, fans had practically written Kalen DeBoer off after going 9-4 in just his debut year. However, those failures must also take into account that Alabama was a shadow of its former self after Saban. 35 players transferred out after the latter’s departure, including stars like Julian Sayin, Caleb Downs, and Trey Amos. Nick Saban’s absence automatically shifted the atmosphere at Tuscaloosa for good.

Kalen DeBoer has had an extremely impactful season in 2025, regardless of what the skeptics feel. Alabama started on a bad note with a loss against Florida State. But the Tide bounced back and even won four straight games against ranked opponents. The lows of the SEC Championship game are there, but fans must not forget that the same team went to Athens and ended Georgia’s home streak.

Perhaps the biggest factor that Alabama fans can take solace in is that DeBoer hasn’t let recruiting suffer. His first year had limited in-state talent, but the head coach took care of that with the 2026 class. It ranked No. 2 in the nation, with 4 five-star and 10 four-star talents. The future looks bright.

Even when he was linked to Penn State and Michigan, Kalen DeBoer stayed committed to the program.

Ty Simpson reaffirms Kalen DeBoer’s commitment to Alabama

Ty Simpson took a leap of faith in Kalen DeBoer, despite being a Nick Saban recruit. That gamble has paid off massively for both him and the coach. Now, Simpson is not just an Alabama loyalist; he’s also loyal to the coach under whom he’s built this stellar career. After Alabama’s loss to Oklahoma, rumors about DeBoer being fired spread as quickly as the praise for him that followed the win over Georgia. However, Simpson and the locker room remained confident in their coach.

“With all that noise going on about Michigan, earlier in the year about Penn State, nobody really knew,” Simpson said in an appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys. “And nobody really knows now, but all coach DeBoer has talked about is just ‘Alabama, Alabama, Alabama.’ Y’all saw it during the game. None of it distracted us; Alabama is what he cares about and preaches, and that’s what he is going to continue to preach about.”

This comment comes after Nick Saban himself put in his vote for Kalen DeBoer to continue at Alabama.

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“Kalen DeBoer has the total and complete support of the University of Alabama,” Saban said on College GameDay ahead of the Alabama vs Oklahoma playoff game. “They want him to be the coach of Alabama.”

Having Saban’s full backing does little to rid DeBoer of the unnecessary scrutiny as the former’s successor. Because how he ends the season this year will impact this aspect of his career once again. But at least for the near future, he’s not going anywhere. After all. Alabama is paying him $87 million to create something good out of a program whose identity was questioned after Saban’s retirement.