Nick Saban Delivers Verdict on Kalen Deboer’s Performance at Alabama After Jalen Milroe’s Subtle Dig at Ex-Coach’s Philosophy

Tuscaloosa witnessed a moment of truth on April 13. For Kalen DeBoer, it was a crucial one since it was his only shot at proving himself a worthy successor of ‘the best coach in CFB’: Nick Saban. And per Nick Saban, DeBoer aced at the job. The former Bama coach marked his attendance at the 4th Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at Church of the Highlands in Irondale, where he broke down his assessment of Kalen DeBoer’s excellence as a head coach.

“He’s done a really, really, good job. He is a good person, a good man and I think he has a good staff,” DeBoer stated to the reporter, relieved that he had made the right choice in handling Bama’s reins. Along with this, Saban also has his assessment of the game ready for the fans, giving the fans a glimpse into what they can expect once he goes live on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’.

“I thought the team looked well-coached. They played hard. They played with a lot of discipline. I know they got a lot of young players at some positions, so their development is going to be critical to success,” Saban said, stating facts and setting further standards for DeBoer to fulfill. DeBoer can hugely leverage the young players enthroned in some important positions, especially the ones who have shown considerable promise on the A-Day, per Saban.

Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson, and Dylan Lonergan were already turning heads at Alabama. To add to their squad, DeBoer and Co. signed five-star QB Julian Sayin. For now, Alabama is posing as an early contender for the Heisman trophy, thanks to this squad. To make matters smoother for DeBoer, these players are already hooked on the new playing style at Alabama.

Jalen Milroe’s subtle dig at Nick Saban

“You want to play for a coach like this, how personable he is with us. He has positive reinforcement behind the criticism,” Milroe said, presenting his honest verdict on Kalen DeBoer after the Spring games. Nick Saban’s direct old-school way of guiding the players worked just fine, but multiple Bama players have reported DeBoer bringing more positivity into the team.

Was it an indirect dig that Milroe made on Nick Saban? Only he can answer that. What he does know is this: “Each and every day when I speak to (this coaching staff), they speak light into me. That’s big.”

Working under DeBoer, a coach who breathes positivity into the QB, is surely big for the QB since this would give him the perfect everything to make an irresistible record if he decides to enter the NFL draft in 2025. His toughest competitors would be Shedeur Sanders, Quinn Ewers, and Carson Beck. A lot of room for him to establish himself as a first-round pick.