Anyone still doubting Kalen DeBoer at Alabama is completely in denial

Kalen DeBoer had a tough task following Nick Saban as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Everywhere DeBoer has been as a head coach, he has been a winner and helped lead his team to great success.

There were serious doubts about the potential of a similar success from DeBoer at Alabama. DeBoer showed in the first four games of the 2024 college football season that he can most definitely win at the big level. No. 4 Alabama started their SEC-opener with a 41-34 win at home over No. 2 Georgia. This comes on the back of quarterback Jalen Milroe and a pair of freshmen who all had statement games.

Any more doubts from college football fans and cautious analysts on the coaching ability of DeBoer should take a good look in the mirror. DeBoer is the winning coach of the game of the year so far this season and his team is not done getting better. 

Kalen DeBoer proves doubters wrong with Alabama's statement win over Georgia

The Crimson Tide came into this matchup with the Bulldogs as an underdog at home for the first time since 2007. The Bulldogs were preseason favorites by many to win the national championship but there were also many who doubted the potential that Alabama would take a step back without Saban as its head coach. Several of those doubters are also unfamiliar with DeBoer’s track record, despite getting Washington to the national championship last season.

DeBoer got his team to a 28-0 early against head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. The coaching staff planned well and studied the tape of Gerogia’s weaknesses. It is how they got Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck to account for four turnovers.

Offensively, he had things dialed up to the tune of 547 total yards against arguably the best defense in college football. Milroe accumulated four touchdowns and 491 total yards in a Heisman statement with few mistakes.

This was a game where DeBoer showed why he was the right coach for the job at Alabama.

Alabama started big, but they lost their lead late in the game. It was a situation where if Milroe didn’t connect with freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, Alabama would’ve lost one of the biggest leads against a top-five team in college football.

There is still work to be done under DeBoer but Alabama showed it is still capable of a national championship run without Saban. Penalties are still occurring too often, the secondary gave up too many big plays late and the defensive linemen were virtually non-existent for the entire game without blitzes amplifying pressure on Beck.

DeBoer has a chance to develop his new team as they continue to climb higher in the rankings. He started SEC play with a brutal opponent, but he will have a lighter road for the next two weeks by going on the road to take on Vanderbilt next week and then hosting South Carolina the following week. After that, four of the five teams that DeBoer and the Tide will face are ranked in the top 25.

The Tide isn’t going away from the national spotlight, and they can thank DeBoer for that.