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First Year for Kalen DeBoer Shows How Great Nick Saban Was

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Kalen DeBoer

Kalen DeBoer signed on the dotted line for what would be the hardest job of his coaching tenure on January 12, 2024. Replacing Nick Saban as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide is not possible to do on a one-to-one scale, and it is a tough ask of anyone.

After a 9-4 record in the first year of his eight-year, $87 million contract, the former Washington Huskies coach proved just how hard it is to replicate greatness, and just how great Nick Saban was as a college football head coach.

First Year for Kalen DeBoer Shows How Great Nick Saban Was

The Losses

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DeBoer did something that Saban never did throughout his 17-year tenure with the Crimson Tide, lost to the Vanderbilt Commodores. No coach for Alabama since Ray Perkins in 1984 lost to the Commodores. That is something that will never be removed from Kalen DeBoer’s tenure.

DeBoer was simply outcoached by Clark Lea. Lea, mind you, entered 2024 with a 9-27 record as a head coach. He did lead Vandy to their first winning season since 2013, finishing with a 7-6 record, but Vanderbilt beating the Crimson Tide is not something that will ever go over well in Tuscaloosa. Especially when that Alabama team is the number-one-ranked school in the country at the time.

The Oklahoma Sooners saw what the Commodores did in Nashville, replicating the game plan with ease. It proved to be another disappointing loss, at the hands of another team that struggled to a 6-7 record.

All of the blame for the ReliaQuest Bowl can not be pinned on Kalen DeBoer, as the Crimson Tide are a notoriously bad bowl team if it is not in the playoffs or for the National Championship. Even under Nick Saban, the team played to a 2-2 record in “meaningless” bowl games.

However, it is still not a great way to cap your inaugural season as head coach of one of the most storied programs in college football.

Jalen Milroe

Under Saban, Jalen Milroe had people believing that he was one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2023. When the clock struck 2024, however, and it was Kalen DeBoer roaming the sidelines, Milroe turned into a pumpkin.

While the yards were still there for Milroe, posting 2,834 in 2023 and 2,844 in 2024, the touchdown-to-interception ratio saw a drastic hit. The quarterback tossed 23 touchdowns in 2023 with only six interceptions but tossed 16 touchdowns in 2024 with 11 interceptions.

Milroe’s yards per attempt saw a decline, also, under Kalen DeBoer, from an even 10.0 in 2023 to 8.9 in 2024. Normally, shorter throws lead to fewer interceptions, that was not the case, however, for Milroe.

Milroe is a run-first quarterback, and he did see more success in that facet in 2024. But, he also faced more adversity. In just eight more rushing attempts in 2024 (168), Milroe tallied 726 yards. A 195-yard increase over his 2023 total (531). He also scored 20 rushing touchdowns, eight more than he accrued in 2013 (12). The fumbles became more prevalent, however, with nine in 2024 compared to only seven across both 2022 and 2023 combined.

The Future for Kalen DeBoer

While DeBoer’s first year at the helm for the Alabama Crimson Tide was a disappointing one, to say the least, it is still far too early to completely give up on him as the head coach. He has still yet to have a roster full of his hand-picked guys. He has not been able to fully run his system to this point.

Keelon Russell should be the starter in the coming season, as a true freshman. If the hype surrounding the young recruit is real, we could start seeing what Kalen DeBoer is capable of sooner rather than later.

DeBoer also hired Ryan Grubb to be the offensive coordinator for the Tide. Grubb served in the role under DeBoer at Washington. He was a part of the National Championship Game coaching staff the team rostered in 2023.

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Standout wide receiver Ryan Williams elected to stick around for at least one more year, giving Russell a deep threat. With the additions of Russell and Grubb, and Williams sticking around, 2025 looks to be much better for head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Regardless of the future, the first year without Nick Saban was a hard one. And he will forever be missed as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

 

Main Image: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The post First Year for Kalen DeBoer Shows How Great Nick Saban Was appeared first on Last Word on College Football.