A long era came to a close for the Alabama football team last season when someone other than Nick Saban trotted out onto the field in Week 1 to coach the Crimson Tide. Kalen DeBoer is now the head coach at Alabama after Saban decided to retire, and he is about to enter his second year at the helm. DeBoer's first season wasn't awful by any means, but it was the worst season that the Crimson Tide have had in a long time. DeBoer isn't Saban, and the program is adjusting to that.
Kalen DeBoer and Nick Saban are different in a lot of ways. People on the outside can see that. Saban isn't the best college football coach for no reason. He was able to achieve the success because he is unique. DeBoer is unique too, but in different ways. The Alabama football players see it every day.
“Nah, they’re, they’re extremely different,” linebacker Deontae Lawson said, according to an article from AL.com. “I mean, you got Coach Saban, who is just so detail-oriented and he just demands excellence from everyone around him. Coaches, players, it doesn’t matter who it is. And, Coach DeBoer, is also detail-oriented and demands excellence. But you’re able to, I feel like, be yourself. I feel like with Coach Saban, you know who he is — his figure. So, it kind of makes you tense up or something like that. For freshmen coming in, that wouldn’t be a good thing because you’re trying to do everything perfect and it end up to him having to chew you out.”
We all know that Saban's top priority is winning football games. It sounds like while DeBoer is obviously focused on that too, but there are other things to achieve as well.
“Oh, definitely personality,” offensive lineman Jaeden Roberts said. “You know, Coach DeBoer wants to get to know his team, get to know his players. And I’m not saying Coach Saban didn’t, but Coach DeBoer has really done a good job in getting to know everybody’s individuals and then bringing us in as a group and really making this feel like more a family type of team.”
The biggest difference between the two seems to be how they act in the public eye. Saban wasn't afraid to show his true self to the public, but it sounds like DeBoer is a different coach behind closed doors.
“Like if, if you get into the team room and he’s addressing the team, he’s obviously going to be harsh on us,” offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor said. “If something goes bad, he’s going to be harsh on us like Coach Saban was. But if he’s outside or he’s doing media, he’s gonna make it fun. That’s probably something that’s different than Coach Saban.”
Like Saban, DeBoer demands excellence, and he is going to get the most out of all of his players.
“He’s coaching us hard, you know?” running back Jam Miller said. “He’s not an easy, relaxing coach. You know, you make one mistake, he gonna get on to you about it.”
After the run that Nick Saban went on, Alabama football fans wants to see as many similarities as possible between him and Kalen DeBoer. It doesn't sound like there are a lot, but DeBoer still knows how to run a football program.
