Heavy is the head that wears the crown! And in the case of Kalen DeBoer taking over for Nick Saban, that’s exactly the proverb that fits in this situation. After the legendary Alabama coach announced his retirement this year, Kalen DeBoer of the Washington Huskies was chosen to take up his mantle. Yet, according to experts, DeBoer won’t make any drastic impact on the program for at least a couple of years.

Kalen DeBoer, the newest HC for the Alabama Crimson Tide, has a phenomenal record against him. The former Huskies’ HC boasts of a staggering 104-12 record with 2 Bowl game wins and 1 national championship to his name. More so than that, DeBoer’s offensive tactics are well known in the world of college football, and with the mix of Jalen Milroe in Alabama, the HC could go on to cook one of the most dominant attacks this season. Though he has much to learn about the ropes in Alabama, DeBoer isn’t likely to bring in a national championship before 5 years of upsets.

DeBoer predicted to take half a decade before hosting a national championship

Nick Saban came to Alabama in 2007 and won his first natty for the team in 2009. It only took 2 years for Saban to figure out his formula, so what’s to say DeBoer can’t do the same? As per recent interviews with the Alabama players themselves, it is evident that DeBoer is not trying to imitate the coaching style of Nick Saban at all and is rather patient and complimenting towards the squad, which isn’t how the 72-year-old veteran used to approach the team.

As per Cole Cubelic on the 30th July episode of the Beat Everyone: An Alabama Football Podcast show, he doesn’t think DeBoer will have the same sort of early success that Saban had with his debut. He said, “In the next 5 years, I would probably expect that to happen. We haven’t seen Kalen DeBoer coach a game in Alabama, we haven’t seen him coach a season in Alabama but we’ve seen him recruit and we’ve seen him pit a staff together. And I’ve seen what he’s done in previous years.” Thus, doubts and concerns will always haunt the shoulders of DeBoer and for someone who’s following in the footsteps of the legendary Nick Saban, the pressure will be unlike anything ever before. But as far as Nick Saban himself is considered, he has all the faith in DeBoer’s capabilities.

Nick Saban and his best wishes for Kalen DeBoer to be the next big giant in Alabama

Though the haters tend to get sour about DeBoer being in place of Saban, the two coaches actually share a great relationship with each other. Nick Saban’s decision to retire would mean he would be a spectator of his beloved team just like the other Alabama fans but in recent revelations, DeBoer still looks up to him for guidance and tips, making it out to be a mentor-mentee relationship.

DeBoer has made it clear in the past that he wants to make his own legacy in Alabama without trying to copy Saban and still be respectful of the glorious 17-year career that the coach had. Following up upon that, Saban has nothing but good wishes for DeBoer to take over the reins of Alabama.

While talking about the transition that DeBoer has made from the Huskies to the Crimson Tide, Saban said, “I think Kalen DeBoer has done a fantastic job of that,” Saban said. “I’ve not been in the building since the day I retired, but those guys come over and see me all the time, he’s come over and seen me a couple times, we spent an hour together here and there. I’m involved and I want them to be successful. And they have done a fantastic job in this transition. The players really buy into him.” Thus, DeBoer has been blessed by the former coach himself to lead the team to a similar glory that he once did and despite what the predictions may be, the coach will give it his all in making sure that the fans cheer for him for his capabilities rather than the glory that Saban set him up for.