Kalen DeBoer is the perfect definition of Captain Cool! He started off hot in Week 1, winning big by a score of 63-0. But Week 2 wasn’t as easy. His Alabama team beat South Florida, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. Their face-off against the Bulls came with penalties and turnovers that just made it an ugly match for Alabama. All that DeBoer cared about was the final score 42-16. Like an ideal HC, Saban’s successor only took the setbacks as ways to unleash their best potential, “This isn’t a wakeup call or anything like that. It’s just keep raising the standard.”

It looks like DeBoer is stepping into the shoes of the GOAT, ex-coach Nick Saban, pretty well with his cool vibes. And he’s crediting Saban’s roster for that! Now that the Alabama vs. Wisconsin clash is scheduled for September 14, two coaches recruited by Saban found themselves in DeBoer’s hype parade. 

It is time for him to give the due credit to the pillars (read: coaches) of the program. Interestingly, all thanks to Saban for bringing in the best of the best talents- coach Freddie Roach and coach Robert Gillespie that DeBoer described as “it was unreal.”

But what made him feel so? The defensive line coach Roach and the running backs coach Gillespie working together as a team is what helped Alabama to reach its peak. “It helped because they just don’t talk with their position group…but they are also overall just ambassadors for the whole team,” claimed DeBoer. 

For any coach, his program is always the best. And guess what? Kalen DeBoer is no exception. During the interview with Crimson Tide Sports Network, the new HC dropped a bold claim. Soaring high with confidence, DeBoer confessed, “I have been to some places where coaches are liked but they are not really that great of coaches, not holding the guys accountable..that’s not the case with these guys. They are elite in every way.” Besides, the quintessential Saban touch in his coaching roster, he has also kept the door open for the GOAT.  

Kalen DeBoer’s open door policy for Nick Saban

DeBoer knows pretty well, that there will be times that his players and coaches would not be able to connect with him and would crave Saban’s presence. And the new HC has one big heart. He marked himself safe from any egoistic rivalry, instead assured his roster that their all-time favorite HC is only one call away.

Back in May, during a press meet, DeBoer dropped a big pledge, “I want to make sure that that connection is always there and that they always feel like they can reach out to the coach that recruited them.” “Also that coach Saban knows he’s always got an open door,” assured the new HC. Why wouldn’t he? After all, DeBoer gets to see how the returning players mentored during Saban’s reign are still flourishing in their roles. 

For instance, Alabama’s star QB Jalen Milroe had been under the GOAT’s tutelage and thus carries some heroic numbers- 2,834 yards, 23 touchdowns, and a 65.8% completion rate. Another Saban disciple is Malachi Moore who tallied 51 tackles with five for loss and one interception last season. So, if Kalen DeBoer is riding high, thanks to Nick Saban for handing him the keys to the talent vault.