They always say, at least in college football, that it’s hard to be “the guy who follows the guy,” meaning it’s never easy to replace a coach who has had immense success at a program with high expectations.
How about being “the guy who follows THE guy?”
That’s what Kalen DeBoer walked into in Tuscaloosa over two years ago when the legendary Nick Saban retired from coaching, and the task hasn’t gotten any less daunting as he enters an all-important year three at the University of Alabama.
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For his efforts so far, though, DeBoer was just awarded a contract extension last week that made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.
After seeing this news, I immediately thought to myself, “Did Bama just pull a Florida State?”
For the uninitiated, FSU extended its head coach, Mike Norvell, a few seasons prior — ironically enough, — when he was linked to the Alabama job following Saban’s departure.
Norvell, to that point, had earned a fat contract extension, at least on the surface.
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The Seminoles were rolling, posting a 23-4 record in the previous two seasons and coming off an ACC Championship and Orange Bowl appearance.
After rumors swirled that Norvell would be Alabama’s pick to replace Saban, Florida State AD Michael Alford swooped in and extended his coach.
Since that pay bump, Norvell and the ‘Noles have gone 7-17, including a disastrous 2024 campaign in which FSU went 2-10 and only beat one FBS team.
These days, the powers that be in Tallahassee are trying everything they can to offload Norvell and his massive albatross of a contract.
It’s a classic case of buyer’s remorse, but is Alabama in a similar boat with DeBoer?
Yes and no. Let me explain.
Let’s start with the fact that DeBoer is not Norvell, nor is Bama FSU.
DeBoer had way more of a track record for turning programs around before being hired by Alabama, including guiding the Washington Huskies to the national championship game the year prior.
Alabama is also way better off than FSU is, specifically from an infrastructure and resource standpoint.
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All that is to say, I don’t see Bama and DeBoer flaming out the way FSU and Norvell have these past few years.
I can’t envision any scenario where the Crimson Tide go 2-10 or even 5-7 under DeBoer, but that also doesn’t mean there won’t be buyer’s remorse in Tuscaloosa as well.
It all comes down to expectations vs. results.
Will the Crimson Tide bottom out and miss a bowl game as long as Kalen DeBoer is their head coach?
Not likely.
But will he take them to the heights that they want to reach and frequently did reach under Saban?
Also not likely.
Kalen DeBoer is a good coach. In fact, he’s a very good coach. But Nick Saban is, without question, the single greatest, most accomplished head coach in the history of college football. Trying to find anyone who is going to replicate what he did at Alabama would be a fool’s errand for multiple reasons.
For starters, as we have established, DeBoer is not Saban. But also, college football is a lot different than it was when Saban was running roughshod over the rest of the country. The proliferation of talent alone has made both the SEC and college football in general a lot more competitive than it was a decade ago.
Expecting DeBoer — or anyone else — to pick up where Saban left off in the 2010s is unfair to both DeBoer and the Crimson Tide fan base.
To his credit, DeBoer has been doing his best to keep up the standard in Tuscaloosa.
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The recruiting operation has barely flinched, as Bama has reeled in its fair share of five-stars and top five classes since DeBoer’s arrival in January 2024.
And while he has had his fair share of head-scratchers on the field (2024 Vandy and 2025 FSU come to mind), Alabama has several wins over ranked opponents and holds a winning record over Georgia during DeBoer’s truncated tenure.
That is all well and good, but at the end of the day, DeBoer will be judged — fairly or unfairly — by the amount of SEC and national championships he wins while coaching the Crimson Tide. That is the standard, the expectation in Tuscaloosa. And if he doesn’t deliver, this coaching hire and subsequent extension will be seen as a massive failure.
Many programs would kill for what Bama has accomplished the last two years under DeBoer: a 20-8 record, an SEC Championship Game appearance, three straight top-five recruiting classes, an 8-4 record against top-25 teams and a win in a College Football Playoff game.
But Alabama isn’t like many programs in the country.
This year will be crucial for DeBoer, and if he doesn’t get it done – meaning win the SEC and/or make a CFP semifinal – the murmurs will intensify into full-on shouts for his job.
No one knows that better than DeBoer, and he knew it the second he stepped in to replace THE guy.
