This has been a wild and unpredictable season for Alabama. Despite losing three games, they gained some consolation points by winning the Iron Bowl against Auburn Tigers. Before the final playoff berth gave the Tide a harsh reality check, they dished a short-lived relief. Amidst all the controversies, the Tide found themselves at No. 11 in the CFP chart before SMU and Miami. But that couldn’t save a tragic end for the blueblood team. Kalen DeBoer ended up in the hot seat again, with fans vehemently questioning his legitimacy in Tuscaloosa. You might argue that the Tide is in a rebuild with a promising 2025 portal, but that’s not enough to pacify the frenzied fanbase who couldn’t yet get over the golden Nick Saban era. They chose the Alabama grad day celebration post to blast at.

Saban can be called a trailblazer in Alabama football history. He came and walked away like a hero, transforming a struggling team into a dominant SEC giant in a bountiful decade. Under his top-tier stewardship, Alabama bagged numerous SEC championships and six national titles, setting an unprecedented standard for anyone to match up. So when Saban announced his retirement, it made a concern for the worthy claimant of his chair. However, Washington coach Kalen DeBoer didn’t think twice before taking on the task of succeeding the GOAT. He knew what would be the consequence. In a sincere effort, he stepped into the season on a good note. But as time passed, Coach Phenom lost all goodwill, and the playoff hope went up in the smoke.

An unforgivable loss over the unranked Vanderbilt, a painful Tennessee beat down and finally, the haunting blow against the Oklahoma Sooners put the Tide at the bottom of their standard mark and left the coach in charge under serious jeopardy. Their offense looked inconsistent and inefficient throughout the seasons. While Jalen Milroe made some blunders here and there, the ultimate truth is Alabama’s tottering offense couldn’t make up for the same.

Nonetheless, after a catastrophic season, a good, refreshing day for the Bama! A slew of the Tide lads completed their grad day and were facilitated in a traditional collegiate grandeur. Kalen DeBoer appeared in a photoshoot in a group with each of the graduating students. But fans missed the vibe of Nick Saban’s effect in the ceremony. Kalen DeBoer doesn’t just fit in their eyes to host the programme.

Fans couldn’t stop comparing Kalen DeBoer to Nick Saban as they neat-picked his gesture and dress code over some pictures.

Alabama fans seem to live in the Nick Saban era in a never-ending trance

Nick Saban is a living legend. Not everyone can be his clone, not only on the gridiron but only in gestures, behavioral psychology, dressing sense, personality flex, and everything. Initially, Kalen DeBoer tried to find similarities with the former Bama icon noting they share the same goal which is to motivate, educate, and foster a sense of brotherhood between the players in the longer room that will work as an asset in their on-field legacy.

But as the season failed to bear fruit, it no longer makes any sense. Fans judge him at every step. As the Bama squad including Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, Kneeland Hibbett, and others suited up for their grad day with DeBoer by their side, fans shade throws at how casually DeBoer dressed. ”Saban would have a tie on come on!!!! we are a first-class school do better,’‘ one fan wrote in the comments.

Some fans didn’t find any fault in the pictures but they were simply nostalgic about how it would look like with Saban. Wow!! Emotions run high in comments like ‘‘Totally not the same vibes without Coach Saban!, ”So strange seeing this without Saban! 😢” etc. Another fan questioned, ”Who is that the athletic director? Where is Nick Saban??.

Nick Saban was a full package. His unmatched discipline, commitment to the work, and that quintessential poker-faced defined his aura to a whole another level. DeBoer not only just fell short in the coaching score, he is also more casual and easygoing than in compared to the staid head veteran. Fans couldn’t let go of that marquee Nick Saban tradition from their head.

They kept pulling the sting on the dress code, pointing out, ”Saban would’ve dressed much more formally, Deboer without tie is a bad look.”

Whether another year in Tuscaloosa changes the reality for Kalen DeBoer or not is a mystery, but for now, the Alabama fan base is not ready for their newly coined coach in all senses.