Tuscaloosa is looking down at what potentially (and arguably) could be one of the best offenses in the nation this fall. If one thing has helped the Crimson Tide fans gradually find their way out of the shock of Nick Saban’s departure, it is the mastery with which Kalen DeBoer is crafting their new offense. With the combined efforts of O-Line coach Chris Kapilovic and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, DeBoer is crafting something robust in Alabama. Something that even Saban would be proud of.

The ever-evolving nature of gridiron made even the crème de la crop have their faults, like Nick Saban. There were some nuances where even the ‘best head coach in the history of CFB’s’ plan fell short after 7 National Championships in his years at Alabama. One pressing issue among these, which Saban wants Kalen DeBoer to address before it negatively affects the season, is their offensive line. The offensive structure, to be precise.

“To me, it’s easier to play the RPO when the team runs the zone play than it is in what I call the hat play, which is a lead play or power or counter,” Saban said, not shying away from explaining where he had bumps on the defensive end. Making it easy to understand, Saban explained how the opposite O-line took advantage of this shortcoming, especially at the linebacker position.

“That’s the way we played, and that’s the way we did it. And I think you gotta change it up,” Saban admitted. Throughout the years, however, Saban had also cracked the code on how he would solve this problem so he had his take ready to share. “Try to disguise it. Chance in the way we play fire zone coverage, you know, we gotta chance to stop the RPOs,” he said. But Kalen DeBoer is not the one to come unprepared for his new job. The head coach has already made some tweaks in Saban’s defensive play which Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack clarified on.

Defensive changes in the Kalen DeBoer era

Right from the Spring camps, Crimson Tide fans started noticing the difference in Alabama’s training atmosphere right away. Music is blaring through the fields, new schemes are being implemented, and, above all, the hope for Alabama after a major cultural shift is still present. Wommack explained how Kalen DeBoer and Co. are preparing their defense to live up to these expectations.

“I would say Saban was a little bit more of a 3-4 structure, carried that over the last 17 years here, but it kind of evolved to a little bit more of a 3-4 with a nickel,” Wommack explained, saying how age-old and important the 3-4 structure was under Nick Saban. However, since it needed a fresh spin on it, DeBoer gave it exactly that.

“We do those things, we still get four-down looks, but we move in and out with that outside (linebacker) into the boundary. So really, we’ve kind of evolved more toward (Saban) and he’s probably evolved a little bit more toward us. So the learning curve for our players is less than you would think,” the DC said, explaining how DeBoer and Co. have already started addressing the issue that Nick Saban has pointed out. With their inside linebackers almost intact with starters Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell returning, Alabama’s defense is all set to put on a show.