The Alabama Crimson Tide must be skeptical now that Kalen DeBoer has replaced its old head coach and legend, Nick Saban. But DeBoer would not miss a beat to woo the players. And here, he comes up with one magical move. In Saban’s absence, he ensured the spirits were high in Tuscaloosa. Because of this, Jalen Milroe and Co. got lucky to bag the preseason magic potion sprinkled by former RB Mark Ingram II.

But what made the player so special? After all, he had the Nick Saban touch and had been in the Crimson Tide between 2008-2010. This was a significant lift for DeBoer’s tribe as its preseason rankings took a nosedive.

DeBoer’s strategy to boost Alabama’s vibes

Kudos to DeBoer. While recently stepping into Saban’s shoes, he tries every way to fill up the GOAT’s position. Even when he couldn’t, the new Alabama HC came up with the best of the best plans. With less than a month remaining for the 2024 season, DeBoer plots to pump up the team’s cheer-o-meter. And what’s better than some Saban touch to jazz up the squad’s vibes? The new Alabama HC invited RB Ingram II to light a fire in the team. As found in DeBoer’s tweet, the HC wrote, “Appreciate you dropping in @markingramII!  Roll Tide!”

Ingram II is one player who carries Saban’s legacy. The son of the NFL’s legendary WR Mark Ingram Sr., he was the first Alabama player to win the Heisman. He signed up with Alabama in the spring of 2008. While the 5′ 10″, 210-pounder played as a backup in 2008, he brought home the 2009 national title for Crimson Tide the next year. It was Saban who mentored Ingram II. Will this speech instill faith in DeBoer’s squad now that their preseason ranking has hit rock bottom?

Crimson Tide falls out of Top 3

For the first time since 2009, the Crimson Tide program will not be able to find itself in the top three of the preseason Coaches’ poll. As soon as the 2024 edition was dropped on Thursday, August 8, it came as a big blow for DeBoer. Alabama football now stands at No.5, which also came in DeBoer’s debut year, as the program received 1,077 points.

Saban, too, got the same rank when he moved with the Crimson Tide into his third season as HC. However, the 2009 season came with some otherwise big wins for the GOAT. They laid their hands by winning the Southeastern Conference Championship. And it’s just not the end. In the same season, they got a BCS National Championship while Ingram II was crowned the school’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner.

While we wait for the Alabama program to release Ingram’s speech from the evening of August 9, we can assume that all these pointers were enough to give a cheer-up jolt to DeBoer’s program. Now Milroe and the squad will have enough reasons to do their best to flip the script.