Did Kalen DeBoer bite more than he could chew? Well, filling GOAT Nick Saban’s shoes is no easy task. He coached at Alabama for 17 long seasons and brought home six national championship titles. So, it was obvious that DeBoer’s seat was going to get hot. More blows came with players leaving Tuscaloosa with Saban’s departure. However, DeBoer still helped to keep the Crimson Tide boat afloat with a 9-4 record. But failed to make it to the playoffs. Even though they had a hard time with the quarterback dilemma, they finally got their clarity. Now, if the head coach is living by the belief that things are going to change for the better, here comes a reality check from the national analyst. 

Last season, DeBoer did not have to worry much about choosing who would be their starting quarterback. Jalen Milroe was there to perform the QB1 duties. But this time, DeBoer had to make the call between the trio- Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell. However, a curious thing happened in Tuscaloosa to close out spring practice. DeBoer’s newly appointed offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, met with reporters and straight up offered up that Simpson would be the starting quarterback if the season began this week. The weight of expectation now falls to Simpson, who perhaps deserves the chance after biding his time at Alabama for three years. So, the clouds of confusion have finally disappeared from Tuscaloosa’s sky. And what’s the national analyst feeling about it? 

Analyst Josh Pate shared his take on it. “Alabama, a lot’s going to be made of the quarterback position. With good reason, I think that’ll be Ty Simpson’s job. How good is Ty Simpson? We’ll see.” However, there are still some doubts looming in Pate’s heart when it comes to DeBoer’s and Alabama’s success in the upcoming season. “They added Ryan Grub as offensive coordinator, and I would love to know whether he’ll be able to have a run game they can depend on. Because last year it wasn’t really there for them, which was a mild surprise to me.” Alabama’s running backs’ inability to perform consistently has been a season-long issue. For instance, Justice Haynes chipped in with 22 on eight carries.

The 2024 stats show, they ranked 47th nationally in yards per game and 50th in yards per carry. Still, Pate is not bothered about it much since it’s the past. However, there is something he is worried about. “You didn’t really add huge personnel additions from the portal at all to the tailback room. So are those guys able to get it done? Is that offensive line able to get it done?” It’s sad that even after producing 84 yards per game from the running back room, DeBoer did not land a running back. More so, after they have lost their 2025 running back, Anthony “Turbo” Rogers. Pate pointed out another major issue. “The other thing is there’s no premier pass rusher on that team, but I think there are a lot of solid options.”

Qua Russaw is stepping into a leadership role this spring, and breaks down Alabama’s younger pass rushers. While Alabama is known for its strong defense overall, some sources suggest they’ve faced challenges with pass rushing talent in recent years, particularly after the departure of Will Anderson Jr. Meanwhile, DeBoer is already losing the spotlight. 

Alabama alumnus tips hat to Nick Saban and skips over Kalen DeBoer 

Since 2009, Alabama has produced 123 draft picks, the most by any college football program during that span. Going by the records, the Crimson Tide has had at least seven selections in the NFL Draft for 14 straight years. And obviously behind this, DeBoer had no role to play. Rather, it has been all of Saban’s contribution. After all, the GOAT has built the program, little by little, to what they are today. This year, the first one to go off Bama’s shelves to the pro league has been Tyler Booker. He has been the $10 million Dallas Cowboys’ No.12 pick.

He has been fed the winner’s mentality by Saban. So, while talking about the player on the Cover Crimson podcast, the former Alabama quarterback Jake Coker did not mention DeBoer. Rather, his loyalty has been praised in light of the GOAT. “He’s stuck it out in Alabama. I’m sure the NIL opportunities were pretty huge to go somewhere else when Coach Saban left.” Even Milroe made it to the conversation, but not DeBoer. 

As Coker shared, “He is one of those guys like Jalen Milroe who keeps us relevant for his leadership at Alabama. I doubt that there’s really any NFL scout that looks at Tyler Booker and says, ‘He may be a liability.’ You’re not going to find anybody says that.” And guess who is stirring the pot now?

It’s none other than the 47th US President, Donald Trump. He was for the UA commencement ceremony at the Coleman Coliseum on May 1. That’s when he came up with a request: “As a student at Alabama, you’ll always remember where you were when your head coach, Nick Saban, retired. Remember that? Because he’s done such a fantastic job. What a great job, let’s bring him back. No, you have a great coach now though.” Now will this rob Kalen DeBoer of his goodnight’s sleep?