Ranking the 5 college football coaches with the most to prove in 2024

3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

The toughest job in sports is being the guy after the guy. Nick Saban brought six national titles to Alabama, and now that he's gone, all the pressure in the world is on Kalen DeBoer to keep the dynasty rolling.

It's difficult to remember a time when Alabama wasn't on top of the college football world, but that's only because Saban was so transcendent. Do the names Mike DuBose, Dennis Franchione, Mike Price, and Mike Shula mean anything to you? Crimson Tide fans have wiped that list from their collective consciousness, but history remembers that Alabama was far from the juggernaut they are today before Saban came to town.

DeBoer is one of the hottest coaching names in college football after bringing Washington to within a game of a national championship, but he faces an uphill battle in succeeding Saban. There's been an enormous talent drain in the wake of Saban's retirement, with multiple four- and five-star players hitting the transfer portal.

If you think this will dampen expectations for one of college football's proudest fanbases, then you don't understand life in the SEC. Anything short of a return to the College Football Playoff will be met with mass hysteria, but slip even a little bit, and there are a half-dozen programs waiting to jump you. DeBoer has a fat contract and one of the most prestigious jobs in sports, but I would not want to be that guy if the losses start to pile up.