Kalen DeBoer didn’t just inherit a football team. He inherited a throne still warm from one of the greatest college football kings of all time. And in Year 1, Bama fans didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet. A 9-4 finish in the first year might be fit for an applause in another city. But that just doesn’t cut it in Tuscaloosa where winning is the culture. “We fell short of making the playoffs. It’s as simple as that, right?” he admitted at the SEC Media Days. It’s a respectable statement but respect only lasts until Saturday in Alabama. Especially when your predecessor is Nick Saban. So what’s the dilemma here? 

It’s winning in the shadow of the GOAT. The minute Kalen DeBoer stepped foot in Bryant-Denny Stadium, he was already 0-1 in public opinion. Why? Because Nick Saban never truly left, not in spirit, and according to recent rumblings, maybe not even in retirement. Louisiana insider Chris Marler and SEC Mike dropped a bomb on That SEC Podcast on July 25 referencing wild rumors that Saban could return. As Mike pointed out, Kalen DeBoer’s first question at SEC Media Days is about his reaction to Nick Saban’s rumored potential return. 

“It’s total [ __ ],” Mike said. “It’s yet another thing Kalen DeBoer has to deal with. I don’t think he’s ever going to shake this unless he comes out here and whoops some a– next year and wins a conference like I’m saying they will.” Even after a season where Alabama didn’t lose a single staff member to the portal and kept almost the entire coaching roster intact, the biggest wasn’t player development. It was about the ghost of the GOAT. Such is the shadow that looms on Kalen DeBoer. 

It’s true Alabama lost 41 players to the transfer portal in Year 1. Still, Kalen DeBoer kept his staff intact and didn’t lose a single player in the spring window. As Chris Marler said, “I thought he looked much better than he did the year before. There’s been several coaches that feel like they were finally comfortable in their own skin in the setting. He seemed like one of them.” That’s no small feat in an era where coaches lose more battles to the portal than on the field. And considering he came from the Big 12 with no SEC ties, his recruiting trail is nothing short of impressive. 

No wonder his players are now fully bought into him. “You definitely see guys definitely bought in,” said DL Tim Keenan during the SEC Media Days. “If they’re not here, no knock to them, but everyone who is here now, they believe in the system. They believe in Coach DeBoer.” And they might need to. The 2024 campaign saw Alabama drop games at Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. They finished 5-3 in the SEC and limped to a No. 17 finish after a bowl loss to Michigan. A far cry from the dominance that Bama fans tattoo on their souls. 

But Keenan said it best, “I know a lot of people say they want to do that [replace Nick Saban], but they ain’t got the courage enough to do it. So I’m gonna go hard for my coach, always.” The coaching staff stability, belief in the locker room, and Kalen DeBoer’s growth are real. Ryan Grubb is back calling plays, and the team is finally starting to feel like his own. The vibe is changing. But what about the Nick Saban return rumor? 

Kristen Saban doubles down on Nick Saban’s return rumor

So, how exactly did the Nick Saban return rumor begin? It started with Greg McElroy’s comment on WJOX radio. His words sounded like this, “A very much in the know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around and just really, really admire, they seem to think Nick Saban’s not done coaching… He’s pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again.” And of course, the internet lost its mind. But Kristen Saban, Nick’s daughter, slaps it down on social media saying, “He’s not coming back to coaching.” 

Chris Marler doubled down saying, “It’s so stupid. Like Saban’s on vacation. Every time something stupid like that happens, I’ll text Kristen and she’ll send me a live photo of him like on a go-kart or at the lake and I’m like I don’t think he’s coming back, guys.” And if that wasn’t clear enough, Nick Saban himself cracked a joke on Fox and Friends. He admitted that the only time he thought about returning was when his influential wife Mrs. Terry made him vacuum the entire downstairs. “So while I was running the sweeper, the thought occurred to me,” he said. “When you are a coach, you have a heck of a lot better job than this. So that’s the only time I considered it,” he said. Classic Saban.

Bama fans would have loved Nick Saban to unretire and come back for one more run. But the 72-year-old is at peace with his decision. “It’s another station of life now,” he added. “I enjoy what I am doing right now and want to continue to do it. Spent more time with my family, my grandchildren. It’s been really, really good.” So, you know he’s not coming back. But that shadow and pressure is still there. Until Kalen DeBoer wins big, the noise won’t stop. The comparisons won’t die. And the ghost of the GOAT will still roam the halls of Bryant-Denny, even if the man himself is riding a jet ski with grandkids.