He experienced an early whirlwind after being hired as the new head football coach at the University of Alabama; yet, Kalen DeBoer was prepared for this opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a legend.
The 49-year-old had no fear of following in Nick Saban’s footsteps when he accepted the invitation from sports director Greg Byrne to become the Crimson Tide’s new head coach. He has been successful in every coaching position he has been, but he wanted a challenge to prove to college football that he can operate in the Southeastern Conference.
In an interview with CBS Sports’ Josh Pate, DeBoer discusses specific coaching stops and iconic names that prepared him to handle the spotlight in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“Nobody wants to follow a legend” is a lie pic.twitter.com/K7EvcFwwjm
— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) April 3, 2024
Alabama’s head coach, Kalen DeBoer, leads the Crimson Tide through their first day of 2024 spring practice.Kent Gidley | Alabama Athletics
He experienced an early whirlwind after being hired as the new head football coach at the University of Alabama; yet, Kalen DeBoer was prepared for this opportunity to follow in the footsteps of a legend.
The 49-year-old had no fear of following in Nick Saban’s footsteps when he accepted the invitation from sports director Greg Byrne to become the Crimson Tide’s new head coach. He has been successful in every coaching position he has been, but he wanted a challenge to prove to college football that he can operate in the Southeastern Conference.
In an interview with CBS Sports’ Josh Pate, DeBoer discusses specific coaching stops and iconic names that prepared him to handle the spotlight in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“I had a chance to follow great coaches at other universities,” DeBoer said in a statement. “I had Jeff Tedford and Pat Hill at Fresno State, and Chris Peterson was there not long before me at Washington. You embrace that, and it is a privilege to be here [in Alabama]. Coach Saban has done an excellent job of establishing the foundation and infrastructure required for success. We will continue to expand and develop upon it. We will continue to make our alumni and fans proud.
Former Alabama analyst returns to work with Kalen DeBoer. Tedford and Hill were successful offensively at Fresno State. DeBoer experienced Petersen’s outstanding success for the Huskies, which included a spot in the 2016 College Football Playoff.
He wants to continue Alabama’s success, but DeBoer wants to do it his way.
Tide fans are growing increasingly excited to watch what DeBoer does in the coming fall.
