For Kalen DeBoer, somewhere in a future, adult never-never land, Alabama football has a perfect season. If that future ever occurs, Kalen DeBoer would still be contrasted to Nick Saban. Not even in a never-never land will the comparison ever favor DeBoer.
That is Kalen DeBoer's world in Tuscaloosa. It has been said that the 2026 Alabama Crimson Tide is truly DeBoer's own for the first time. As Alabama's Fall Camp commenced on Wednesday, DeBoer had to again respond to a question about the college football world disrespecting the Crimson Tide. DeBoer somewhat tersely answered, "We are well aware" of the disrespect. Of course, he and his players are aware. The disrespect has been abundant since January.
Alabama football fans hope the team's mindset has been for months to slam the door on all the doubt. No amount of talking will be motivation enough. No claims of a rebound have merit until they are proven on the field.
Two decades ago, when Nick Saban took charge in Tuscaloosa, much was markedly different. For one, Nick Saban, already with a national championship pedigree, did not have to follow college football's greatest-ever coach. A further reason not to doubt Saban was that Alabama had been such a disappointment for many seasons before him. Saban didn't talk about winning championships. He talked about the daily discipline and work required to become a champion.
Headlines were made this week when Nick Saban said of Alabama, "Hopefully we can sneak up on some people this year and fly under the radar a little bit and surprise some people ..." Some responses were that Saban was not very optimistic about DeBoer and the 2026 season. Some even claimed that Saban conveyed a defeatist attitude. In reality, Saban only meant that DeBoer's 2026 team might benefit from a lack of 'rat poison' that so many of Saban's teams had to overcome.
Nick Saban and Kalen DeBoer
In 2007, Saban descended into Tuscaloosa riding a wave of goodwill. Immediately, Alabama fans viewed him as the program's savior. Kalen DeBoer arrived in Tuscaloosa with clouds of doubt on the horizon.
This week, in a comparison of indeterminate value, Kalen DeBoer's focus and apparent resolve were more reassuring than Saban's hope. But words and mindset matter only after they become action. Nothing that either the coach or the former coach said is a beacon showing whether DeBoer has what it takes to make Alabama champions again.
It will be several weeks yet before the mindset of DeBoer's team can be measured. Until then, like Nick Saban, Alabama fans will hope. Kalen DeBoer has no time for such a distraction.
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