Nick Saban explains how Alabama has maintained its culture after Kalen DeBoer’s arrival

Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama raised questions about how the Crimson Tide would look and feel in the future. Those questions will remain even as Kalen DeBoer navigates his first season as the Tide’s head coach, considering the massive shoes he will have to fill.

Saban’s Saturdays during the college football season will now be spent on the College GameDay panel. During his debut appearance on Saturday, he touched on the expectations his successor will face in Tuscaloosa.

“I went and watched last week’s scrimmage (last) Saturday and that team still has the same culture,” Saban said. “When I was the coach, they played with toughness, they played with great effort, they executed well, they got good discipline. So Kalen has done a really good job.”

Saban noted the exodus of players after his retirement, especially on defense, but made a promising forecast for the Tide’s 2024 season.

“I was worried about the defense, but I think the defense really impressed me in this scrimmage, that they are coming along. So if they can play the kind of defense, especially in the secondary, because they lost so many players in the secondary, they’re going to be right up there challenging people,” he said.

Nick Saban on Kalen DeBoer and Alabama: "I went and watched last week's scrimmage… that team still has the same culture they had when I was the coach."

On the SEC: "I see 6 or 7 teams that have a chance to win this, but somebody has to prove they can beat Georgia." pic.twitter.com/SAPLy3Dvwn

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 24, 2024

Sydney Hunte

Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.