Now filling in GOAT’s shoes is not easy. That too in your debut season. But poor man, Kalen DeBoer! The Alabama Crimson Tide HC DeBoer had to step into the role of becoming THE NICK SABAN’s successor in his first stint in college football. So has CFB been soft and considerate with him? Sadly, not.

Forget Saban. These days, he’s being compared to the man running the Alabama basketball program. That’s when former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback-turned-analyst Greg McElroy took charge of addressing what DeBoer had to go through. Surprisingly, DeBoer’s Alabama career has come down to only one factor. 

Greg McElroy’s rundown of Kalen DeBoer’s debut season

Replacing someone like the legend Saban, who has seven national championship titles under his belt, is NO JOKE! After all, that man has brought Alabama to what they are today. The GOAT left with a 206-29 record with a staggering 87% winning percentage. So, it was obvious there prevailed a Saban effect in Tuscaloosa. Thus as soon as he broke ties with Alabama, players too failed to trust the program anymore in his absence. And BOOM! There hit a mass exodus. And who had to bear the consequences? Obviously, DeBoer! That’s when McElroy tried to remove the blinds from DeBoer haters’ eyes. 

On the ESPN College Football podcast, McElroy stated, “By the way, they lost 31 guys in the portal, and nobody wants to focus on that right now.” After all, the charm has been missing in Tuscaloosa, and DeBoer has no fault in that. As the host continued, “Nobody wants to address well the depth on this Alabama roster and the quality that was on this Alabama roster is different from that of a team that was competing for championships regularly between 2009 and 2021.”

For example, former Alabama center Seth McLaughlin won the 2024 Rimington Trophy playing for Ohio State. However, they did try to balance by bringing in center Parker Brailsford and defensive lineman LT Overton. So, it’s obvious that DeBoer’s HC seat got hotter due to a disastrous portal. That’s why they had a rollercoaster season.

They came off as indomitable in some games, like against Wisconsin, and hammered Georgia, whereas their “wheels fell off” against Vanderbilt. McElroy stated, “Overall year one grade for Kalen DeBoer, I’m giving him a B minus.” How? “When you take into account how bad the portal was for the Crimson Tide last year, the amount of great players they lost the amount of depth they lost…still getting nine wins I think is something to be commended,” answered the analyst. Unfortunately, the standards are too high for DeBoer. 

Kalen DeBoer’s courtside moment earned him some more criticism  

Well, can the critics be really blamed? After all, they have now become used to tasting only victory. Thanks to the GOAT Saban. The frustration about Alabama faltering has gone so much that they could not help but advise DeBoer when he was spotted watching Alabama’s basketball game. Thank god, the program could bag a win over LSU. On that note, Crimson Tide journalist Tony Tsoukalas had some advice for DeBoer to take notes from their basketball HC Nate Oats.

As tweeted on January 25, he wrote, “Kalen DeBoer was on hand to watch Alabama basketball’s win over LSU last night. Here’s hoping the head coach took notes on Nate Oats’ willingness to bench his star players.” Now, you know how the journalist had hit hard where it pains the most.

The Jalen Milroe factor. During the basketball game, HC Oats did not even inch back before benching Mark Sears, who has been the SEC’s leading scorer. Sadly, the phenom failed to bag a score in the first half. That’s when he pulled in Aden Holloway and Mouhamed Diabate at offense. And VOILA! The Bama secured an 80-73 dub.

This reminds us of Kalen DeBoer and the squad’s 24-3 humiliation at Norman. In that game, Jalen Milroe threw 3 picks, putting an end to the Crimson Tide’s hopes. But can the Alabama HC be really blamed? Even though Ty Simpson came off as a good option, doubts prevail about his ability to handle the heat as a full-time starter. The same goes for Austin Mack, who is yet to prove his arm talent to thrive in Tuscaloosa. Now, let’s see how DeBoer carves his path to greatness and captures the hearts Saban has long ruled.