Let’s go ahead and say the quiet part out loud: following Nick Saban was never going to be easy.
Not here.
Not at Alabama.
Not in a place where greatness isn’t hoped for, it’s expected.
And yet, here we are.
Advertisement
Still talking about whether Kalen DeBoer is the right man for the job.
Let me be clear: he is.
Not because he’s trying to be Saban. Not because he’s recreating the past. But because he understands exactly what this program needs moving forward, and that’s something entirely different.
Alabama football was built on tradition long before NIL deals and the transfer portal became the center of the sport. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the landscape around it. And the truth is, no one, not even Saban, was immune to that shift.
That’s where DeBoer comes in.
He’s not here to copy greatness.
He’s here to evolve it.
Advertisement
And that matters more than people realize.
DeBoer inherited a program in transition. A roster dealing with turnover, expectations through the roof, and a fanbase that doesn’t do patience well. That’s not a knock, that’s just Alabama football. But what DeBoer has done in a short time is quietly start building something sustainable in this new era of college football.
You’ve seen it in recruiting. You’ve seen it in the transfer portal. And maybe most importantly, you’ve seen it in the locker room.
Players believe in him.
That’s not something you can fake, and it’s not something you can force. It’s earned.
Advertisement
You hear it in the way guys talk about accountability, about development, about opportunity. This isn’t a coach scrambling to keep Alabama relevant—this is a coach laying the foundation to keep Alabama elite.
And yes, that takes time.
I know that’s a word people don’t want to hear. Not after the standard that was set over nearly two decades. But here’s the reality: you don’t replace a legend overnight. You build your own legacy.
And DeBoer is doing exactly that.
There’s a difference between maintaining success and sustaining it through change. That’s the challenge Alabama is facing right now. NIL, the portal, player movement, it’s a completely different game than it was even five years ago.
Advertisement
But here’s the thing: DeBoer isn’t fighting that reality.
He’s embracing it.
He’s been smart in the portal. Not flashy, smart. He’s not overpaying just to win headlines. He’s targeting players who fit what Alabama needs, not just names that look good on paper. That’s how you build a roster, not a rental.
That’s how you build a team.
And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve already seen glimpses of what that can look like.
There’s energy. There’s belief. There’s a sense that this program isn’t clinging to what it used to be, it’s stepping into what it can become.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be bumps along the way.
Advertisement
There will be.
There already have been. That’s part of it.
But if you’re judging DeBoer based on whether he’s immediately replicating Saban’s dynasty, then you’re missing the bigger picture.
Because that was never the assignment.
The assignment was to take Alabama football into its next chapter, and make sure it still looks like Alabama when it gets there.
And he’s doing that.
He respects the standard. You can see that in how he carries himself, in how he talks about the program, in how he expects his players to operate. There’s no disconnect there. He knows what this place means.
But he also understands that holding onto the past too tightly can hold you back.
Advertisement
So instead of trying to recreate something that can’t be duplicated, he’s building something that can last.
That’s the difference.
And that’s why he’s the right man for the job.
Because this isn’t about replacing Saban. It’s about making sure Alabama never stops being Alabama.
That identity? That edge? That expectation of greatness?
It’s still there.
It just looks a little different now.
And that’s okay.
Actually, it’s necessary.
So if you’re still waiting to be convinced, if you’re still questioning whether DeBoer is “the guy,” I’d challenge you to take a step back and really look at what’s happening.
Advertisement
This isn’t a program falling off.
This is a program reloading with a coach who understands both where it’s been and where it’s going.
And when it all clicks, and it will, you’re going to see exactly why Kalen DeBoer was the right choice all along.
Roll Tide.
