Alabama's Kalen DeBoer Isn't Running From Nick Saban's Legacy

Kalen DeBoer knew how challenging the job he accepted would be when he left Washington to become the head coach at Alabama.

It’s never easy to replace a coach who already has a statue built in his honor in Tuscaloosa. But DeBoer replaced someone in Nick Saban who may have a strong case for the College Football Hall of Fame to be named after him.

That has given him higher-than-normal expectations as he enters Year 3 in Tuscaloosa, something he says he never has or will shy away from.

“I think you can talk about how great of a job Coach Saban did in building the program to what it is and the expectations. I just know my past experiences being part of places that have the pride and tradition on the extreme high level like Alabama has would be something I wanted to be a part of,” DeBoer reflected on Wednesday at SEC Media Days in Tampa.

“ ... I understand what took place and happened here during the great times and Coach Saban leading the charge here. I also love the challenge of trying to continue to build on that and add to this program's great history.”

DeBoer’s first two seasons leading the Crimson Tide haven’t been a debacle by any means. Alabama was the first team out of the College Football Playoff in 2024 and made last year’s CFP, winning a first-round game at Oklahoma before losing in the second round.

DeBoer is 20-8 leading the program and has a remarkable record of success most fanbases would welcome without a second thought.

But Alabama’s fanbase -- fresh off nine SEC titles and six national championships in 17 seasons with Saban -- is not most fanbases. And Alabama’s ignominious 38-3 Rose Bowl loss to eventual champion Indiana last season was a harsh reminder that Saban is gone and there will likely never be another him.

Alabama is still accumulating talent at an impressive rate, with its high-school recruiting classes ranking in the top three nationally in each of the last three cycles under DeBoer, according to 247Sports.

There have been some highs, including a pair of wins over Georgia. But there have also been some severe lows, which rarely happened under Saban.

With a loss at SEC afterthought Vanderbilt in 2024 and a 2025 season-opening loss to a Florida State team coming off a 2-10 campaign, it took DeBoer just 14 games to lose as many games against unranked teams (four) as Saban did in his entire tenure.

That’s more of a stat praising Saban than condemning DeBoer. And yet, it’s exactly why he may be on a slightly hotter seat entering this season than any coach should be given what he’s accomplished through two seasons at a job.

It also explains why Alabama may be a bit under-the-radar in the SEC entering 2026, with the focus on the likes of powerhouse programs Georgia and Texas, Lane Kiffin’s controversial LSU move and Ole Miss, without Kiffin, coming off a CFP semifinal appearance.

Maybe a little less national attention will be what DeBoer needs to fill what could be the world’s largest shoes in Tuscaloosa this fall.