Kalen DeBoer concedes Year 1 didn’t meet ‘Bama standard’ but proud of internal progress
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Kalen DeBoer is ready for Year 2 at Alabama after replacing the legendary head coach Nick Saban in 2024. Being the person to follow Saban, and his prestigious tenure leading the Crimson Tide, comes with its own set of challenges.
DeBoer hit the ground running with some impressive results out of the gate in 2024, steamrolling Wisconsin on the road before a thrilling win over Georgia to begin SEC play. Unfortunately, unprecedented losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma dampened the season and kept the Tide out of the College Football Playoff before eventually losing the bowl game to Michigan.
On Wednesday, DeBoer took his turn to meet with the press at SEC Media Days, and SDS’s own Connor O’Gara questioned if his first season lived up to the elite standards expected at Alabama. The short answer was simple, but DeBoer also said he was proud of his players and other items within the program.
“If you internally ask us, no, we fell short of making the Playoff, it’s as simple as that, right? And giving yourself a chance to compete for a national championship,” said Kalen DeBoer. “I think there’s a lot of things that I’m super proud of that have happened within the program that are a part of the progression. We want it right now, too. We fell short, our guys, again, I’m proud of them and how they responded to us not realizing the goals that we set out to have, and getting back to work and focusing on the main thing. I feel that’s always been the case, but there are sometimes ups and downs that you’ve got to go through.”
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One thing is for sure: Fans will be less kind after the 2025 season if DeBoer misses the Playoff for a 2nd straight year. Alabama is among the early favorites in the 2025 national championship odds, coming in at +1200 at BetMGM.
Those odds are the 7th-lowest in the nation, so the expectation is that the Crimson Tide will be among the best teams in the country. Now, it’s up to DeBoer to make that expectation come to fruition.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
