As Kalen DeBoer enters his second season at Alabama, he faces the challenge of emerging from an impossible shadow as he's the coach that followed Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. In his first season leading the Tide, Alabama lost games to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, and Michigan keeping the Tide from playing for a National Championship.
It comes with a level of understanding that Kalen DeBoer's Alabama is far different from Nick Saban's Alabama as it's impossible to replicate what Saban built while both coaches dealt with different eras of the sport. Even while it's understood that Kalen DeBoer is on a different playing field than Nick Saban, Kalen DeBoer continues to take shots from opposing fanbases and players.
This week, Kalen DeBoer found himself in the crosshairs of Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos who pushed DeBoer to the side when talking about facing Alabama.
"They don't have Nick Saban to save them. I just don't see them stopping me."Thomas Castellanos
Opposing players are joining fans in saying that the Alabama Crimson Tide of old no longer exist under Kalen DeBoer. During the 2025 College Football season, Kalen DeBoer's biggest mission at Alabama has to be returning the Crimson Tide to that feared program once again and he should look to his predecessor for the blueprint.
In a now famous Pre-Game speech before the 2018 National Championship Game, Nick Saban fired his team up about Kirby Smart saying "Alabama is not as unbeatable as they’ve been" ahead of the Championship Game
"You guys talk about respect all the time, alright Kirby (Smart) says we ain't what we used to be. Well by god, I want to prove something different. I don't want to see a smile on that face after the game."Nick Saban
When Nick Saban's Alabama teams were called out, he didn't take to the media to address the comments but, he didn't let the comments slide either. At any chance he got to find a new way to motivate his teams, Nick Saban took it and made the opponent regret sounding off for 60 minutes. Whether it was a Vanderbilt team that was far less talented or a Georgia team on Alabama's level, the last thing Nick Saban was going to do was let someone disrespect his team and get away with it.
In 2025, Kalen DeBoer needs to get Alabama back to that mindset and early on, he's been given two clear targets to squash. Alabama won't need to wait long as they'll face Thomas Castellanos and Florida State in Week One where they can set a clear tone for the season. The next enemy to demolish is Vanderbilt and Diego Pavia who's already eyeing a secon upset win over the Crimson Tide.