What Nick Saban provided for Alabama Crimson Tide fans is gone in multiple ways. Saban did not create the 'every season expectation' that Alabama fans have for a national championship. That expectation existed before Nick had his first graduate assistant coaching position.
Before Saban, even in Alabama's worst seasons, hope was never lost that 'next season' the Crimson Tide would contend. Hope and certainty are not the same. Saban quickly turned Alabama around, and glory followed. By the 2012 season, many Alabama football fans had begun to believe with certainty that the Crimson Tide would contend for a national championship every year.
One of Nick Saban's well-known quotes was that "success is not a continuum, it's temporary." The 2013 and 2014 seasons were examples; though by a sane measurement advancing to the 2014 national semi-final would be considered a successful season.
By Alabama standards, the 2019 season was also a bust. Not only did the Crimson Tide miss the Playoff for the first time, but Alabama also lost the Iron Bowl to Auburn. Redemption came in the 2020 National Championship. The redemption did not last. The Crimson Tide lost the 2021 National Championship Game to Georgia and followed that in 2022 by not making the Playoff field. In Saban's last season, Alabama came up short again, losing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl semi-final.
Alabama football fans were stunned by Nick Saban's retirement. A collective summation was that no coach could ever replace the GOAT. Enter Kalen DeBoer. Perhaps DeBoer did not understand that, as the Alabama coach, in every season, he would be measured by a national championship or failing to win one. A hunch is, he fully understands that now. It is a burden only a truly great coach can shoulder.
Alabama Football and the burden of unrealistic expectations
DeBoer has had multiple chances to move away from Alabama's unrealistic expectations. The two most recent being Penn State and Michigan. That he sticks with Alabama says much about the man. Most of the college football world would likely not blame him for grabbing a new opportunity. But there is a sense that DeBoer would blame himself. If so, Crimson Tide fans should be glad he is Alabama's head coach.
It is possible that Kalen DeBoer will not succeed at Alabama. That possibility does not suggest he should take a lesser job now - and Michigan is not a lateral move or better job.