O Alabama Crimson Tide will begin the 2024 college football season against Western Kentucky, and it will be the first time in more than 17 seasons that the Tide will take the field without the legendary Nick Saban the margin. Saban’s retirement doesn’t seem real yet, but seeing new head coach Kalen DeBoer on the sidelines could also be a breath of fresh air.
Losing Saban was always going to be incredibly difficult, but athletic director Greg Byrne reacted quickly and got a phenomenal coach in DeBoer.
In two seasons with the Washington Huskies, DeBoer was 25-3 with a PAC-12 title and national championship appearance. Between NAIA and D1 football, DeBoer posted an excellent career record of 104-12. It was only a matter of time before other programs started turning to DeBoer, so while Saban’s retirement wasn’t a big deal, the timing definitely could have been worse. DeBoer also showed that he can beat the best coaches in the country by going 5-0 against Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian.
Heading into the 2024 season, ESPN ranks DeBoer as the second best coach in America, behind Kirby Smart of Georgia Bulldogs.
Even in Saban’s final years leading the Alabama program, Smart began to catch up. Now, Smart is arguably the best coach in the conference, but it may not be long before DeBoer overtakes him. However, there is also the risk that some mistakes could cause DeBoer to fall in the rankings.
With a revamped coaching staff and a roster that lost many point guards from last season, there is a lot that is known about Alabama’s 2024 team. While some may see this as a negative, there is a good chance this could be used to Maré’s benefit. A certain level of unpredictability can boost the team against strong opponents in the next calendar.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see DeBoer and Smart face off as Georgia visits Tuscaloosa to face Alabama in a regular season matchup on September 28, 2024.
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow DeBoer and the Alabama football program as the 2024 offseason progresses.
Contact us/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to keep up with ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.
