"Yes, it's certainly a special place": When Kalen DeBoer accepted sitting back in Nick Saban's chair and reflecting
In an interview last year, Kalen DeBoer shared what it meant to him to coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He signed an eight-year deal with Alabama on Jan. 12, 2024, after former coach Nick Saban retired two days prior. The decision put pressure on DeBoer from fans to keep to the standard that Saban had built with the program.
On the Jan. 24, 2024, episode of the "Dan Patrick Show," the Crimson Tide coach appeared to discuss the significance of having Saban's office and expressed his desire to retain Alabama's tradition.
"Yeah, It's certainly a special place, and coach Saban made it that way, you know, and I think that piece of it was intriguing and exciting to me when going through this process of looking to be the head coach, and you know he's made it an amazing job as have others that came before him too. So, yeah, the legacy leaves. You can't help but notice it, and you know, carrying on that tradition, that's my goal," DeBoer said (4:22 onwards).
He also shared during that interview that he wasn't in communication about becoming the Michigan Wolverines coach after Jim Harbaugh left.
"No, that would never been anything that I'd have been aware of. I think, you know, when you think about the timeline of how quickly things happen from a national championship game and, you know, two days later coach Saban retiring and the next day an interview and then hired. There just wasn't a lot of time for anything," DeBoer said (5:25 onwards).
DeBoer entered his first year with Alabama following a successful 2023 season with the Washington Huskies. He led the Huskies to a 14-1 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 8, 2024.
Kalen DeBoer's first season with the Alabama Crimson Tide
Last season, Alabama regressed under Deboer's leadership compared to Saban's final year with the team. He led the program to a 9-4 record and placed fourth in the Southeastern Conference. In the 2023 season, the retired coach helped the Crimson Tide finish with a 12-2 record and clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Alabama coach had success early last year with a four-game winning streak. However, the team suffered a 40-35 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Oct. 5, 2024, which led to their struggles competing for a playoff spot. The Crimson Tide finished the regular season 11th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
On Dec. 31, 2024, Alabama ended their season with a 19-13 loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. In his second year as coach, he'll aim to regroup in the offseason and compete for the top spot in the SEC.