The underdog receives his flowers for trying to step up and fill the shoes of the conqueror of college football. Ever since Nick Saban chose to retire from coaching this year, the Alabama fans had a mighty big void in the program. Fortunately, the ruthless Kalen DeBoer from the Washington Huskies was chosen as his successor, and amid all the doubts and concerns that were ahead of him, Bryan Ellis had a lot of praise for his willingness to come to Tuscaloosa. No matter what DeBoer does, every step of his will be compared to how Nick Saban led the program in his era and despite knowing all this, DeBoer is coaching the team with his flair without a care in the world.

‘Touchdown ETP’ posted a recent clip from the interview of Bryan Ellis where the TE coach was talking about the player-led environment in Alabama and how it’s quite brave of Kalen DeBoer to come in and take over for the legendary Nick Saban. DeBoer’s performance will always be looked at through Saban-tinted glasses and expected to bring the same glory he brought to the program. And yet, DeBoer is trying to do this his way amid a culture that emphasizes “student-led” cultures.

Bryan Ellis took to the mic and spoke at length about the “self-confidence” policy that DeBoer is leading with and said, “It’s more on the players, you know, I think when you talk about culture when you have a player-driven culture that obviously is the best case scenario. And I think, you know, you look at the coaching board and where he’s been in the last couple of months. I think it takes a lot of self-confidence for him to come in here and not want to drastically change and do it as well, you know, it’s a unique situation when you’re walking into a place after so much success.” The legacy of Nick Saban will be commemorated in Alabama history for a long time yet to come but under the control of DeBoer, the Crimson Tide could just see a new wave of change too. With that being said, here’s what Nick Saban had to say about the new state of his beloved team and what DeBoer should be expecting from his first season in Alabama.

Nick Saban gives his thoughts on the new and revamped Crimson Tide

It mustn’t be easy to see someone else lead the team that’s been your home for over 17 years. Many would even say that it leads to feelings of envy and jealousy but based on Nick Saban’s reactions to the way Kalen DeBoer has been coaching, it certainly doesn’t seem like it. Though Saban did admit that he had a few qualms about Alabama’s defense but after witnessing them in action recently, he could sit comfortably in his chair.

Saban mentioned how the culture of the team is the same when he was “the coach” and said, “So Kalen [DeBoer] has done a really good job. He’s had to replace some players because so many guys transferred. But I really think Alabama, with Jalen Milroe, the two running backs that they have… I was worried about the defense. But I think the defense really impressed me in the scrimmage that they have come along.” Thus, the fans are entering a new phase of the Alabama Crimson Tide, one where they won’t be able to blindly trust the head coach for a national championship but change is inevitable and if a coach like Kalen DeBoer is at the helm of it, change can be fantastic too.