Curt Cignetti has been on the wildest two-year run as a college football coach, maybe ever. This is a man who guaranteed he could turn Indiana into a champion and did that in just two seasons. What he has done is maybe the most impressive coaching job in my lifetime, but it makes it that much tougher for Kalen DeBoer.
Cignetti has won the Big Ten and a national championship in just two years at what most consider the worst college football school in Power Conference history. This has many Alabama fans wondering why DeBoer hasn't come close to the same in his two years in Tuscaloosa, where he came into a much better situation.
The Rose Bowl loss to Indiana further hurts DeBoer because the team of misfits was able to pretty much make the team of four and five-star players tap out. Cignetti, in two years, has been able to instill a certain culture where the players are hungry, tough, and will never give up. On the other hand, unfortunately, there have been quite a few instances in DeBoer's two years that not only has Alabama been embarrassed, but they seemingly quit when punched in the mouth. It doesn't sit right for many fans that Indiana has a better locker room culture than Alabama and seems to have a certain pride in the program that doesn't seem to exist consistently at the Capstone.
Going into year three was already going to be enough pressure for DeBoer since Saban won his first title in Tuscaloosa in year three, and Indiana winning in Cignetti's second season adds to that pressure. On a positive note, I loved what Alabama did in the transfer portal, not chasing unncessary big name pieces and focusing more on pieces that are more of a need. Even in today's world of NIL and the transfer portal culture is still important, and you get the feeling another four-loss season at Alabama may spell the end for Kalen DeBoer, especially if they don't look better in games they do lose. It will be a long off-season, and hopefully, all involved with the program, from the head coach to the student managers, figure out how to build a stronger culture built for a long playoff run.