Post Nick Saban Era: What Will Be Defined as “Success” for Kalen Deboer in His 1st Year at Alabama?

Alabama has commenced its second scrimmage in its spring practice, and Kalen DeBoer couldn’t be happier. When he initially joined Alabama, the air was dense with tension surrounding him being the successor of the

best coach in college football, Nick Saban. The path was rocky for DeBoer but it smoothened out a bit as the season progressed.

That was talking about the off-season. For the regular season, there is just one question on each Bama fan’s mind as ON3s JD Pickell iterates: “

What would be success for Kalen DeBoer his first year in Tuscaloosa?”

With the regular season soon approaching, the air surrounding Alabama is getting more scrutiny-filled as fans across the Nation await what the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year can unfold in the regular season.

Roster talent

Nick Saban not only left behind a grand legacy for DeBoer to handle but also one of the finest rosters in the SEC conference. On3’s JD Pickell calls Alabama’s roster

“better than 10 other teams.” All that it boils down to in the end is this – Can DeBoer win games with a perfect roster?

Jalen Milroe, Malachi Moore, Keon Sabb, Alabama’s roster is stuffed with talent. However, Harbaugh’s true test will be how well he leverages this talent. If DeBoer cracks the code to make the roster roll like Nick Saban, the season would be an instant hit for him.

Performance against top-tier teams

The teams are scary-looking in Alabama’s 2024-25 schedule. They face Tennessee in the initial weeks, LSU in the middle weeks, and the real scary-looking teams in their last weeks like Vanderbilt and Auburn.

Playing against the crème de la crème of the conference will define what DeBoer, as a head coach, brings to the SEC scoreboard, one that Nick Saban has mostly managed to top. It would also give DeBoer a chance to establish his playing style in the conference.

Team identity

Speaking of playing styles, Alabama’s playing style has always been backed by Nick Saban. Now that DeBoer has the reins, this will be his chance to establish a firm schematic and strategic outline. Defining which direction their team wants to go, be it offensive or defensive, would form the very basis of the post-Nick Saban Crimson Tide’s identity.

Along with making the most of the players, Kalen DeBoer will get the window to establish himself as the Alabama leader, something which would be crucial to shoot down the questions against him.

Score expectations

Despite it all, it’s the numbers at last establishing a team as the top seed in a conference. Nick Saban left the team with a solid score of 12-2. Being his first season as an Alabama head coach, and a former head coach of the National Championship appearing team, the standard for DeBoer is set at 10-2, per On3’s JD Pickell.

READ ALSO: Alabama’s New Recruit Bearing Iconic ‘Bo Jackson’ Name Expresses Deep Gratitude to Kalen DeBoer and the University

With the standards set and players bolstered up for the season, it will be a true test of Kalen DeBoer on his new team. How do you think he will perform? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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