Greg McElroy has a keen pulse on the Alabama fan base, both from being a player, and now as a broadcaster who interacts with fans on radio and podcasts.

So McElroy had a quick answer when he was asked on the “Always College Football” podcast whether Alabama fans and media will be patient with Kalen DeBoer. “No.”

It’s because the expectation is “outrageous,” McElroy said, and it’s too be expected because of the string of successful seasons of double-digit wins, and being in the College Football Playoff in 8 of the last 10 seasons. However, it will take some time to get used to the new normal in Tuscaloosa and across college football. There is margin for error.

“But here’s the thing,” McElroy said. “The landscape’s changing. So you don’t have to go 11-1, 12-0 to make the College Football Playoff. You can have 2 losses and in some cases 3 and still have a chance to make it to the dance.”

McElroy declared that DeBoer won’t be the second coming of Nick Saban, but will do it his way.

“If you look at the personality type that he’s bringing to the position, it’s very different from that of Nick Saban and thus, there’s going to be a decent amount of turnover,” McElroy said. “… There’s not a whole lot to dislike what Kalen DeBoer has accomplished in his time as a college head coach.”