It is the dawn of a new day for the Alabama football program. The Crimson Tide will have a new guiding light in the form of Kalen DeBoer, now that Nick Saban has set sail off into retirement. While everyone who follows college football closely knows that DeBoer is no slouch, it is different down here. Although I expect DeBoer will win championships at Alabama one day, 2024 is not the year for it.
Alabama may have key contributors like Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker and Malachi Moore back for another season, but the Crimson Tide lost so much talent to the transfer portal. While they were able to convince guys like Kadyn Proctor to come back, we have to accept that Alabama is going to be different now under DeBoer, and not under the greatest head coach in the history of college football.
So what I want to do today is to take a look at some of the biggest questions that the Alabama Crimson Tide need to answer heading into fall camp. These will all be settled out on the field, but you have to wonder at what point we are going to get the much-needed clarity we deserve out of this national power. I envision Alabama will still win around double-digit games, but they could pull back.
Let's star with the side of the ball that Saban always made sure was a priority when he was running it.
5. Will Kane Wommack and Maurice Linguist's defense make key strides?
Defensive coordinator issues may have been the straw that broke the camel's back in delaying Nick Saban's eventual retirement. He apparently wanted to have Jeremy Pruitt replace Pete Golding, and not Kevin Steele. Pruitt was given a lengthy show cause after his tire fire of a coaching tenure leading Tennessee. In the end, Saban decided to walk away and in came Kalen DeBoer to pick up the pieces.
While DeBoer is an offensive-minded coach, I will give him a ton of credit for being able to convince a pair of former Group of Five coaches in Kane Wommack and Maurice Linguist to come coach his defense. I think that side of the ball should be just fine. Alabama already has all-conference-caliber players the likes of Malachi Moore, Deontae Lawson, Tim Smith, Jihaad Campbell and Keon Sabb.
The talent is there, but we have to wonder if the coaching will be on par with the Alabama standard.
4. What constitutes a successful first season under a new regime?
Admittedly, I am not expecting a huge pullback for the Crimson Tide. Just know that one is coming. We are talking about a team that won the SEC a year ago and was one play away from playing for a national title. In comes Kalen DeBoer fresh off playing for a national title at Washington, hoping to put his own spin on what made the Crimson Tide so dynastic under his predecessor in one Nick Saban.
No doubt about it, the schedule is tough, but I think going 9-3 or better under a new regime should be the benchmark. With that record, Alabama may have a chance of making the expanded playoff. If they were to go 10-2 or better, the Crimson Tide will absolutely be one of the 12 teams qualifying for the College Football Playoff at regular-season's end. It is a lofty year one goal, but is certainly attainable.
We don't need to debase Alabama standard just yet, but we must lessen our expectations just a tad.
3. How will the wide receivers play under JaMarcus Shephard's watch?
This was somewhat of a problem a year ago, or really since the 2021 run to the national championship game. Alabama has had good receivers in the years since, but not quite on the level of guys who are first-round locks in NFL Drafts. The good news is JaMarcus Shephard is coming over from Washington, a school that seemed to have the right idea about getting its players more open.
Even though Isaiah Bond took the easy way out and transferred to Texas, Alabama may have the next best thing since sliced bread in the form of freshman Ryan Williams. He initially decommitted after Nick Saban decided to retire, but opted to still suit up for his home state's team. I could be so wrong in this, but he feels different. We may be looking at a guy who can be the next Julio Jones or something.
Williams is only a freshman, but he is a ball of clay that Shephard should be able to work with wholly.
2. Can Jalen Milroe take his games to new heights under Kalen DeBoer?
This is one of the two big ones that have not gone away at all this offseason: Is second-year starting quarterback Jalen Milroe poised to take his game to new heights under offensive guru head coach Kalen DeBoer? We all saw what DeBoer did for Michael Penix Jr.'s game both at Washington and at Indiana before that. Milroe possesses some of those innate leadership traits tha Penix oozes out.
While we all know that Milroe can run and doesn't shrink under pressure, he needs to become a more precise passer to achieve all that he can in an Alabama uniform. Truth be told, I think he will. He has the right head on his shoulders do to such things. If he plays like I think he can, Milroe will lead Alabama back to the playoff, win the Heisman Trophy and then be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
For lack of a better phrase, Alabama will go as far as Milroe is able to take them this college season.
1. How different will Alabama be under Kalen DeBoer vs. Nick Saban?
The only constant in life is change. We find ourselves at a very interesting crossroad with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Out goes six national championship over the better part of two decades. In comes one of the hottest head coaches on the rise in the profession. Simply put, how different will Alabama be under Kalen DeBoer than it was under Nick Saban? It will be similar, yet quite different.
DeBoer is going to be himself. It is all that he can do. If he does that, then he can achieve all he can as the head coach of Alabama. My only concern is that he is entering a pressure-packed situation in Tuscaloosa. This fanbase only celebrates national championships. While I think DeBoer is going to win one at Alabama, it may be closer to singular than it is to multiple. Just give the man a chance...
This isn't the first team of note DeBoer has led, but he also hasn't been in charge of Alabama before.