When it was announced for the very first time that Nick Saban had announced his retirement from the world of college football, jaws all around were dropped to the floor. Nobody could believe that he was quitting after 17 years of coaching in Tuscaloosa and was the sole reason behind their 6 national championships. As such, it became difficult to ever imagine Kalen DeBoer could ever replace Saban or the legacy he left behind in his wake. Fortunately for DeBoer, the fans would continue to raise doubts over him until Alabama defeated Georgia by a breezy win. Now, everyone has made peace with the fact that Saban is a perfect fit in the stands, watching down over the culture he made from scratch and DeBoer at the helm of it all, pulling the strings to success, making Alabama one of the most dominant forces in college football.

On the Aaron Torres show, the 1st October episode tackled a very prominent narrative that has making the rounds against Kalen DeBoer and how it’s not his team. Torres dove deep into the matter after highlighting a user’s comment where he claimed that the current roster of Alabama belongs to Nick Saban and DeBoer hasn’t really gotten his own players.

To which, Torres replied and said, ” I think Kalen DeBoer is a pretty good coach and he did coach for a national championship last year so I don’t think he’s a scrub. okay but a couple things stand out. Kalen DeBoer, last year, went 14-1, won the final Pac 12, beat Dan Lanning twice, beat Steve Sarkisian once, yet this year is unquestionably the most talented roster that he’s ever had in his career.” He further laid stress on how there was a mass exodus of players leaving Alabama after Saban’s exit and as such, DeBoer should be given credit for retaining the old players that he did during the chaos. With that being said, let’s take a more detailed look at what transpired after the exit of Nick Saban.

Players that left and came under the watch of Kalen DeBoer

The entire world of college football dreaded the day Nick Saban would announce his retirement and when that day came on 10th January, it seemed like the players almost quit on the team without the HC. On 19th January, 10 Alabama players entered the transfer portal with the biggest names being of Caleb Downs, Isaiah Bond, and Kadyn Proctor among many others. Under such a fire, DeBoer held his cool and brought in newer players, some of which have played a huge role in the success of the team today.

Kalen DeBoer brought in over 14 players from the transfer portal and had the number 2 recruiting class in the country. Players that came to Alabama through DeBoer include Germie Bernard, LT Overton, Domani Jackson, Zabien Brown, Keon Sabb, and the best for last, Ryan Williams. Williams, 17, is now a Heisman contender competing against the likes of Travis Hunter and Cam Ward after playing spectacularly against the Georgia Bulldogs. Thus, DeBoer isn’t just coaching off the pre-made team that Saban left him but also making his own in the process.