Nobody actually wanted the job. Seriously. Think about the sheer, ego-crushing weight of standing where Nick Saban stood for seventeen years. When you're the head coach of Alabama, you aren't just a guy with a whistle and a clipboard; you're the curator of a museum where the only acceptable exhibit is a gold trophy.
Kalen DeBoer didn't care. He packed his bags in Seattle, left a National Championship runner-up squad at Washington, and flew into Tuscaloosa while the seat was still smoking. Some fans called it brave. Others? Well, they called it a death wish.
The 2024 Reality Check
The honeymoon ended fast. Most coaches get a "grace year," but Alabama fans don't do grace periods. DeBoer's first season in 2024 was... let's be honest, it was a rollercoaster. 9-4. For any other program, that’s a solid B+. At Alabama? It felt like the sky was falling.
Losing to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl to cap off Year One wasn't exactly the "Process" people were used to. It was the first time in forever that Bama looked, dare I say, human on the road. They dropped games to Vanderbilt and Tennessee. The defense had holes. The "schizophrenic" quarterback play—as some critics labeled it—kept everyone on edge.
But here’s the thing: DeBoer is a winner. He’s 124-20 as a head coach. You don't stumble into that kind of record. He didn't try to be Saban 2.0. He didn't scream until his veins popped. He just worked.
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Why the "DeBoer Way" is Different
If you’ve watched a practice lately, the vibe is just... quieter. Saban was a thunderstorm. DeBoer is more like a steady, relentless tide. He talks about "three maxims" he learned back at Sioux Falls from his old coach, Bob Young.
- Winners win because that’s what winners do. Basically, it’s about habits. If you’re lazy at breakfast, you’re lazy on third down.
- First be your best. Then you’ll be first. It's about personal potential, not just the scoreboard.
- The relentless pursuit of continuous improvement. It sounds like corporate jargon until you see the 2025 results. Alabama went 11-4. They won the SEC regular season. They beat Georgia. They beat LSU. They beat Auburn. The "head coach of Alabama" finally looked like he belonged in the big chair.
The 2025 Offensive Identity Crisis
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the run game. Or the lack of one. In 2025, Bama ranked 123rd in rushing. That is honestly hard to do at a school that used to produce Heisman-winning running backs every other Tuesday.
Ty Simpson stepped in at QB and threw for over 3,500 yards. He was efficient. He was smart. But without a ground game, the Tide became one-dimensional. When they ran into Indiana in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals on New Year's Day 2026, it got ugly. A 38-3 blowout.
"We're gonna play to win," DeBoer said after a gutsy fourth-down call earlier that season. "We've done that quite a bit."
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He’s not lying. He’s aggressive. But the 2025 season showed that being aggressive isn't the same as being dominant.
The Coaching Carousel Never Stops
As we sit here in January 2026, the staff is already shifting. It's the nature of the beast.
- JaMarcus Shephard is gone to be the head man at Oregon State.
- Nick Sheridan took the Michigan State OC job.
- Derrick Nix just signed on as the new wide receivers coach.
Nix is a huge get. He’s an Alabama native. He knows the SEC recruiting trails like the back of his hand. DeBoer is smart enough to know he needs "Bama guys" in the building to bridge the gap between his Pacific Northwest roots and the deep South.
What Really Matters for 2026
Ty Simpson is heading to the NFL. The transfer portal is humming. There’s a lot of noise. Critics like Clay Travis are already predicting a "downward trend" for the program.
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Is the Saban era truly over? Yes. But the DeBoer era isn't a failure—it’s just a transition. He’s 20-8 in two years. In Tuscaloosa, that’s "struggling." Anywhere else, that’s a statue in the making.
The head coach of Alabama has to deal with a fan base that views a two-loss season as a national tragedy. DeBoer’s challenge for 2026 isn’t just winning games; it’s fixing the run game and proving that he can keep the recruiting classes from fleeing to Texas or Georgia.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Analysts
If you're trying to figure out if DeBoer is "the guy," stop looking at the win-loss column for a second and look at these three things:
- Rushing Efficiency: Watch the offensive line recruitment this spring. If they don't get bigger and meaner, the 3.4 yards-per-carry average from last year will haunt them.
- Quarterback Development: With Simpson gone, the battle between Austin Mack and Keelon Russell is the only story that matters in spring camp.
- Road Composure: Alabama opens 2026 against East Carolina, but the Week 3 rematch against Florida State in Tuscaloosa will set the tone for the whole year.
The standard hasn't changed. Only the man at the top has.