You can take the Saban out of Alabama but you can’t really take the Saban out of Alabama. The irony of this statement isn’t lost on Alabama fans who are witnessing the team play out the 2024 season exactly how they used to back during the veteran’s time with the team. Kalen DeBoer is the new man at the helm of it all. However, the team’s inherent traits remain the same, as J.D. Pickell pointed out recently. The values and the mentality that Nick Saban instilled throughout his 17-year career in Alabama, seem to be still alive and breathing among the team’s characteristics to date.

On the 15th September episode of the ‘On3 show’, J.D. Pickell was seen discussing the win of Alabama over Wisconsin. And he started to reminisce about the days when Saban used to don the cap of HC. Fortunately, he’s not missing Saban too much since he believes that the current 2024 team of Alabama lives up to the standards that the veteran coach set for the program.

Pickell spoke in detail about the “Saban genes” and said that DeBoer’s team still has them in plenty. He further added, “Like to me this team, still feels like it comes from Nick Saban. Because what have we known from Nick Saban’s teams so far? Hey, the sequence of events here is don’t play their best football the week before, some conversation around how you could talk yourself into Wisconsin, finding a way to win this one on the road, and then Bama goes out and just absolutely, like I said, bounces back, leaves zero doubt.”

Thus, the Crimson Tide seems to be doing really well with a 3-0 record in their hands already. However, moving forward, they will be expecting their biggest challenges, seeing as they have a schedule lined up with SEC giants.

The heavily-loaded schedule of the Alabama Crimson Tide

So far, Alabama has played against teams like Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Wisconsin. Bama has managed to win the scores of 63-0, 42-16, and 42-10, respectively. It is safe to say that none of these teams are massive enough to challenge the might of Alabama. But the real obstacles will come in their path from 29th September onwards. Moreover, the unconvincing Week 2 victory, where it took DeBoer’s boys until the 4th quarter to get through South Florida, means that there are things that need to be worked on.

On the SEC table, the Georgia Bulldogs lead overall with a 3-0 record, equivalent to Alabama’s current score. The better team will come out on top when they clash at the Bryant-Denny stadium on 29th September. After that, their schedule is lined up with difficult opponents. They will face the likes of South Carolina Gamecocks, the Texas Longhorns, and the LSU Tigers. Kalen DeBoer and the team will need to pull up their socks tight to breeze past these strong opponents. However, based on the weapons in their arsenal, such as Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams, Nick Saban might just have a chance to see the team win a natty from up above from the stands.