JUST IN: Pundit believes defensive change by Kalen DeBoer could hurt Alabama in 2024.
With Nick Saban no longer in charge, Alabama football will undoubtedly face new challenges in 2024. One college football coach predicts that the Crimson Tide will regress in one key area of the field.
As a football coach, Saban was a multifaceted gem. In order to win his last championships, he finally switched to an offensive style that was more pass-centric in the late 2010s and early 2020s. To begin with, he recruited exceptionally successfully. However, he consistently had elite defenses.
But the most missed quality, according to an unnamed college football coach who talked with Lindy’s Sports for their preseason publication, is his genius-level comprehension of defensive schemes.
“The biggest change people don’t understand is Alabama, since 2007, has had maybe the best defensive mind in the history of college football,” the coach said in reference to Saban. He went on to add that Saban was always one step ahead.
“Occasionally somebody might get him, but he was so far ahead of taking away what people did best on offense on a weekly basis and was willing to tweak things to stop what you do best.”
It’s that special trait that this coach believes is impossible to replace, no matter who took over the job.
“When that walks out the door, it’s arguably not replaceable. They’ve still got talent, but there’s a major change defensively, and how that transpires remains to be seen.”
Another coach expressed his belief that Kalen DeBoer can duplicate the explosive offense he had at Washington and expressed his appreciation for the incoming Tuscaloosa head coach.
“I believe that Kalen DeBoer is a seasoned, elite football coach given his three-place record. There is, in my opinion, no doubt about it. Additionally, because offensive football systems these days are so similar to one another, implementing them is simpler. But how much, or if at all, Alabama falters from Saban’s defensive dynasty may determine their actual ceiling.
After going 7-6 in his first year in Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban finished his 17-year tenure at Alabama this summer. During that time, he won six of his seven national titles, had 16 straight seasons with 10 wins, and was a part of multiple New Year’s Six Bowls and College Football Playoff trips. Even in the CFP semifinals this past season, Nick Saban’s final Crimson Tide squad lost in overtime to eventual national champion Michigan.
