$5 million worth Kalen DeBoer marks his presence as Alabama beats Florida in 98-93 showdown: PHOTO
New Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer has been settling into Tuscaloosa after his highly publicized move from Washington to replace legendary coach Nick Saban in January.
DeBoer, who is reportedly worth $5 million, marked his presence at the Coleman Coliseum alongside athletic director Greg Byrne as the No. 13 Alabama basketball team (19-7) secured a 98-93 win over the Florida Gators (18-8) on Wednesday night.
Coach Kalen DeBoer up for the Nick Saban challenge
No one likes to fill in for a legendary giant at any institution. Still, Kalen DeBoer answered Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne's call in January, leaving the Washington Huskies after the Tide's long-serving coach Nick Saban retired.
Speaking to ESPN recently, DeBoer revealed that he did not feel pressured to follow a legend like the indefatigable Nick Saban.
"I look at it as a privilege, and not pressure, to be able to come to a place like this," DeBoer said. "I understand that there are expectations that are extremely high. But think about what the alternative is -- to be at a place that doesn't have expectations. That's not what I'm looking for, not what I've gone through to get to this point."
With the popular narrative being that the Alabama Crimson Tide are vulnerable after the abrupt departure of their legendary coach, DeBoer showed a defiant side in the interview.
"I think there's maybe a common chip on our shoulder," DeBoer said. "Our players here at Alabama fell an overtime short of playing for the national championship last year. We were one step away from winning the national championship at Washington. Let's take that next step together."
Kalen DeBoer's vision of how the Crimson Tide will approach games will excite Bama fans.
"It's the same way on defense, and it doesn't mean that the ball's always flying down the field 40 or 50 yards on offense, either," DeBoer said. "It's a mindset that if you feel like there's a play that can be made, we don't need to set it up with two or three more play calls.
"We can go at it right now and we're going to be so dialed in with our game plan and the details that we see on film, the guys we're trying to attack, that when we make a check or we make a call, everyone understands why we're doing it."
Kalen DeBoer has the unenviable job of following the most successful college football coach of all time. His comments suggest a steely attitude and enthusiastic nature that could be just what Alabama needs.