In January, Nick Saban announced he would retire from coaching. The surprising move led to Kalen DeBoer’s hiring.
From the moment DeBoer was formally introduced as the next head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, he was tasked with sustaining Saban’s success.
Alabama enters Week 5 of the college football season with a 3-0 record, and Saban praised DeBoer.
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Nick Saban walks off the field after it was renamed in his honor at Bryant-Denny Stadium during halftime of Alabama’s win over South Florida in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Sept. 7, 2024. (Gary Cosby Jr./USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
“I’ve been really impressed with him,” Saban said Friday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
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“I think he’s maybe one of the few guys that could have done this as seamlessly as it’s been for him and the players.”
Kalen DeBoer, head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, before a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium Sept. 14, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (John Fisher/Getty Images)
Saban, a seven-time national championship-winning coach, also acknowledged the difficulties DeBoer faced when he took over the football program considering Alabama’s history of success.
“He’s done a fabulous job, in my opinion, of transitioning, because this is probably one of the most difficult things, too,” Saban noted. “If you take over an unsuccessful program, everybody welcomes the change. Everybody welcomes the new hope that is created by having a new coach.
“But when you take over a successful program, you know, how are people going to respond to you? And how are you going to be accepted? And how are the changes you make going to be accepted?”
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer leads his team on the field before a game against Wisconsin Sept. 14, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
DeBoer took the coaching reins at Alabama after leading Washington to an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship game. Prior to that, DeBoer coached at Fresno State for two seasons. DeBoer also had a stint with Sioux Falls and worked as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.
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Saban works as an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” The long-running program will broadcast from Tuscaloosa Saturday ahead of the highly anticipated matchup between the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and No. 4 Alabama.
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