In sports, there’s no such thing as an easy opponent! And Kalen DeBoer seems to have learned this lesson from the best — the GOAT himself. The Alabama’s new head coach, started his tenure with a huge 63-0 win over Western Kentucky last week. Now, he’s bringing that same energy into this weekend’s game against South Florida, hoping to give Bama fans another #RollTide moment.

But Kalen DeBoer isn’t getting carried away by his early success. He knows better than to underestimate USF and has issued a strong warning to his team about the underdog Bulls.

On Wednesday, he talked at length about his game plan for the Crimson Tide and highlighted what they “must be aware of” when facing USF’s fiery quarterback, Byrum Brown. DeBoer clearly sees Brown as a threat, saying, “He [Brown] has a great command of the offense, understands what the coaching staff is trying to do with their play calls and all the little wrinkles.” He praised how well Brown has executed plays so far, and their last year’s game against Alabama showed that. Though the Tide won, Brown had an impressive season with 23 touchdowns and over 3,000 passing yards, nearly matching Jalen Milroe’s performance under Saban.

Like Milroe, even Brown is a dual-threat quarterback who can run great, too. So, DeBoer noted, “We gotta be very aware of him taking off and running with the football, whether it’s in the read game with the running game and zone reads or different types of options where he can keep it.”

It sounds like DeBoer sees USF as a worthy opponent, and their quarterback plays a big part in that. After all, even Nick Saban himself, found these underdogs challenging last year!

Kalen DeBoer Has Got Jalen Milroe

Nick Saban’s team beat USF last year with a 17-3 score, but the win didn’t come as easily as Saban might have expected. Well, Byrum Brown and his crew had a strong start, leading 3-0 in the first quarter against the Crimson Tide. Although Alabama bounced back in the second half, it wasn’t enough to put a smile on Saban’s face. He likely thought it should have been a straightforward win after all. Well, the GOAT coach was even spotted looking pretty frustrated as he left Raymond James Stadium that day.

But hey, Alabama didn’t have their star quarterback, Jalen Milroe, playing in that game. Instead, Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner shared the QB role that day. And this time, though, Kalen DeBoer has Jalen Milroe in full form, ready to take on Byrum Brown any time. And Milroe isn’t just confident in himself; he also believes in DeBoer’s entire offense. Speaking on a podcast in July, Milroe praised how Alabama is “explosive in the offense” this season under DeBoer. “I truly believe we have more talent this year than we did last year,” he added. 

So, can we expect another big win from Kalen DeBoer & Co. as good as their 63-0 season opener?