Alabama star Malachi Moore highlights 1 unique difference between Kalen DeBoer and Nick Saban
Nick Saban is considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Under his legacy at Alabama, the Crimson Tide secured six national championships and nine SEC titles, along with various other achievements along the way.
After the announcement of his retirement, fans were both worried and concerned about the program's future. However, their worries were soon put to rest following Kalen DeBoer's appointment as the new head coach.
Many analysts also considered DeBoer to be the right choice for Alabama, owing to his 104-12 overall record.
In his last season with the Washington Huskies, they finished the season with an electrifying 14-1 record, coming so close to winning a national championship.
During the 2024 SEC Media Days, Alabama Safety Malachi Moore talked about the one key difference between Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer's fashion choices:
"Okay, it's not really like a story, it's more like me observing, but coach Saban, you know he always had a straw hat at practice, he always wore the same thing, if it was hot, khaki shorts and a little vest and little shirt," Moore said.
"So you always knew who coach Saban was, based off his attire. But coach DeBoer, he has a regular Alabama hat on, Alabama tee shirt and shorts, so the first couple of practices, he would be standing by me, and I would be like, 'Oh that's coach DeBoer, that's the head coach right there, I didn't know he was standing right there.'
"I think that's the biggest thing, seeing him move around the field and coach Saban being on the defensive side, that was a big change for me," he added.
When Nick Saban spanked A.J. McCarron
Saban is widely popular for his passionate moments both on and off the field. Whether it be his outbursts on the field or his lashing out at media reporters during postgame press conferences.
Among the many a** chewing stories, perhaps the most popular one is when the former Alabama coach spanked redshirt freshman quarterback A.J. McCarron during a thrilling matchup against Mississippi State in 2010.
McCarron faced coach Saban's wrath on the sidelines after throwing an ill-advised pass while on mop-up duty.
When asked about the incident, Saban simply said football was for tough people and that he did not think anything was wrong with it:
"I'm not apologizing for anything that I did, to be honest with you, A.J. doesn't have a problem with it. Nobody else should have a problem with it. I've been patted on the ass since nine years old playing peewee football. So, if you don't like that, I guess you should watch the Golf Channel," Saban replied.
It will be interesting to see how the post-Nick Saban Alabama performs during their first season under new coach Kalen DeBoer. Can he lead the Crimson Tide to their seventh national championship in his first year in charge?