This offseason has included a lot of talk about what Alabama is without Nick Saban. After the Crimson Tide missed the College Football Playoff in Kalen DeBoer’s first year at the helm, players like Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos have suddenly felt comfortable enough to call out the sport’s preeminent program for being a thing of the past.
SEC rivals have even come to the defense of the Tide and their standing in college football, and Alabama football players certainly feel that the program has the same prestige as it did in 2023. Running back Jam Miller, who arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2022 to play for Saban and stayed amid the transition to DeBoer, feels the expectations haven’t changed at all. For Alabama, every season is championship-or-bust.
Alabama RB Jam Miller tells @On3sports that the Alabama standard has not changed
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) June 30, 2025
“It really doesn’t matter who’s in the office, Saban or [Kalen] DeBoer. Coming to Alabama, they only have one standard, and that’s winning national championships.”
Story: https://t.co/0p6si2LFrL pic.twitter.com/EqunBIQV5p
Jam Miller puts championship expectations on 2025 Crimson Tide
Miller isn’t alone in that feeling. DeBoer has continued to recruit at Saban-levels through his first two cycles, with the 2026 class continuing to climb higher in the top 10. However, if the second-year head coach can’t find a way into the 12-team CFP and compete for SEC and national championships this season, his job could be in jeopardy. That’s the immense level of pressure that comes with being the head coach in Tuscaloosa.
Saban won his first national title at Alabama in his second year, after a debut season that went even worse than DeBoer’s 9-4 disappointment. With the resources that Alabama pours into its football program, the support from the fanbase, and the amount of talent, some still left over from Saban’s final roster and some lured to the program by DeBoer himself, patience isn’t an option.
Miller’s message applies to the players, too, and they haven’t been shying away from the challenge. Alabama’s 2026 recruiting class began June outside the top 50 in the country with just six commits in place. Now, through July 1, the Tide’s class is ranked No. 7 with 16 commits, including two five-stars, Jorden Edmonds and Xavier Griffin.
All 16 of those players are coming to Tuscaloosa expecting to win a national title.
DeBoer has never won it all, but in just his fourth year as a head coach and second season at Washington, he led the Huskies to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Michigan, which ousted Alabama in the CFP semifinal. That meteoric rise allowed him to become Saban’s successor, but if he doesn’t take the next step to become a national champion, he may not be long for the gig.