Kalen DeBoer himself would tell you he has everything he needs to win games at Alabama in 2025. No more excuses. No more square pegs in round holes. DeBoer is no longer coaching a Nick Saban-built roster. This is DeBoer's team now, through and through. He flipped the roster in the winter Transfer Portal window and has his guys in place.
He also has his coaches. He has the staff he hoped to have in year one at Alabama, with Ryan Grubb joining to be the offensive coordinator following a season with the Seattle Seahawks. DeBoer and Grubb won't have a holdover QB who doesn't fit the system they want to run. They have their choice of three options. They have a fourth-year junior, a guy entering his third year in the system, and a freshman phenom. One of them will almost certainly be good enough for the Crimson Tide to reach its goals.
DeBoer cannot afford a repeat of 2024. Missing the College Football Playoff for the second consecutive season would be unacceptable. It would also serve to put him on the hot seat heading into 2026.
It's not national championship or bust in Tuscaloosa next season. But it is College Football Playoff or bust. Being one of the 12 best teams in the country would be a difficult goal to achieve at most places. Not at Alabama.
DeBoer knows the expectations. He relishes them. He may not have fully understood the weight of being the head coach at Alabama last season. He certainly does now. It only took losing to Vanderbilt to change that.
Year two will tell the tale of whether DeBoer is long for this job.
A year two jump is typical for successful Alabama coaches
(H/T) to Jimmy Stein on X for the inspiration)
Four of Alabama's five national championship-winning coaches have had improved records in year two from year one.
Wallace Wade led Alabama to a 7-2-1 record in his first season with the Tide in 1923. He went 8-1 in year two. In year three, he led Alabama to the school's first national championship.
Bear Bryant went 5-4-1 in his first season in Tuscaloosa, taking on a massive rebuild. He led the Tide to a 7-2-2 record in year two. Two years later, he led Alabama to its first national championship in over 20 years.
Gene Stallings went 7-5 at Alabama during his first season in 1990. Alabama went 11-1 and finished 5th in the AP Poll in 1991. Stallings led Alabama to their first post-Bryant national title in 1992.
And then Nick Saban came along. After a 7-6 debut season in 2007, Saban led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated regular season in 2008. The following year, Saban led Alabama to the first of the six national titles he won in Tuscaloosa.
The only title-winning coach who took a step back in year two was Frank Thomas. He went 9-1 in his first season at the helm of the program in 1931 and then 8-2 in 1932. He led Alabama to the national championship in 1934.
History tells us if DeBoer is going to win anything of note during his tenure at Alabama, the Crimson Tide is going to have a better year two than year one.
A worse season in year two - say an 8-4 regular season - would mean it's time to sound the alarm. It would be difficult for DeBoer to sell the future of the program to recruits and the momentum he's gained on the trail would disappear.
The majority of Alabama fans would completely turn on him and be calling for his job.
DeBoer doesn't have to win the title next season. Making the playoff would be good enough to show forward momentum with the program. Even going 9-3 again in the regular season wouldn't be automatically disqualifying, depending on who the losses came to. Close road losses to the likes of Georgia/South Carolina/Missouri would be a world of difference from losing to two .500 teams like Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
Year two is vital for DeBoer. He knows that. It will tell us everything we need to know about how his tenure is going to go.