Alabama has been so much sweeter ever since Saban left. There is no doubt about the fact that Nick Saban‘s time and decade made Alabama the dominant team it is today, but there is also no denying that he stepped over a lot of feelings and emotions in the process of hoisting all those trophies. In the debate of suppress for success versus smile to shine, it somehow feels like DeBoer’s way of coaching seems to be more preferred by the current Alabama players.

Kalen DeBoer, the former HC for the Washington Huskies, took over for Nick Saban this year. Though most of the community expects him to be the next Saban, he’s doing everything in his power to move away from the act of imitation. DeBoer is doing it his way and hopes to find success with it, starting with, the happiness meter within the squad, which seems to be better than it ever was during Saban’s time although probably not as prestigious.

Kalen DeBoer surprises players with an unexpected sweet gesture

After Wednesday’s practice in Alabama, an ice cream truck came in ringing into the college grounds to give the hardworking players a deserving break. CJ Dippre, the TE for Alabama, said how he “never” has witnessed such a sight in Alabama and neither have the football fans. As per WR Germie Bernard, who used to play under DeBoer in Washington, this was not too surprising since according to him, the coach used to “bring ice cream trucks, food trucks, all types of different trucks” during his 2 seasons there.

The Alabama players are getting the full-throttle DeBoer experience as he’s bringing the Huskies’ sweet moments to the city of Tuscaloosa as well. The WR, Bernard further went on to emphasize how much importance and care the management is showing for the team and said, “You see how much that they pour into us, how much they care for us.” Thus, this is yet another sign that the harsh regime of Nick Saban has come to an end and is being replaced by all things sweet and tender, like the ice cream that the Alabama players indulged in their tired and dry palettes. With that being said, let’s take a look at what Jalen Milroe had to say about the key difference between Saban and Kalen.

Jalen Milroe talks about DeBoer’s “pat” on the back

For all Alabama fans, Nick Saban has been and always will be the GOAT of college football. 6 championships in 17 years is no minor feat but a change of pace for the players might do them good as they transition into a Saban-less era. Saban might have been the most successful coach in college history but there have been times when players were reported to be scared of his person. He ensured that a strict form of leadership produced the best results and he hasn’t been wrong either.

But for someone like DeBoer who takes after a less harsher coaching style, he has had a staggering overall record of 104-12 so it seems to be working well for him as well. Additionally, in the words of Jalen Milroe the QB, DeBoer is a type of nice that the team isn’t used to. He narrated a story of the time when the coach encouraged him to celebrate which isn’t something that Saban ever did.

Milroe said, “It’s funny because at practice, you know, I threw, I threw a really good ball, really good deep ball down the field, really good pass. And everyone was celebrating, I threw it, looking at the sideline for the next play, the next signal, and coach DeBoer comes to me like, Hey, what happened? I thought you’ll celebrate and run down the field, I said, coach, I was worried about the next play. He Pat on me, it changed my perspective.” Thus, this dynamic between the star QB and the coach could go on to prove crucial for this season and could mark off the beginning of a dynasty that doesn’t bank on Saban to bring in all the trophies.