Every Monday right here you can read Tide Takes, where we’ll get into a different topic on the Crimson Tide, break down the previous game, preview the upcoming game, and everything in between.
In this week’s edition, the first week of the Kalen DeBoer era is officially in the books. While there may have been more downs than ups, there seems to have been an initial overreaction that things have completely crumbled in Tuscaloosa and DeBoer is off to a disastrous start.
Now that things are starting to settle down, let’s look at the bigger picture:
When I say “Alabama is going to be just fine,” I certainly do not mean that the program won’t miss a beat, championships will remain the expectation every year, nor that the loss of Nick Saban won’t be felt.
Far from it. It will take Kalen DeBoer and his staff at least two full off-seasons to fully get things going. At least. But the doom and gloom that’s been cast over the program since the hiring of DeBoer has been tremendously overstated.
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For one, even with the portal exits, Alabama is still going to have a more talented roster in 2024 than 95% of college football. Secondly, there isn’t a coach in the country (besides maybe Kirby Smart) who would have been able to keep things full intact post-Saban.
An expectation to do so was an impossible task.
Looking at the bigger picture, the losses of Caleb Downs, Kadyn Proctor and Isaiah Bond all hurt. But Downs was the only true star player that left solely because of Saban’s departure, and DeBoer hasn’t even had an open portal window yet.
And for every Caleb Downs, there’s a Deontae Lawson, who has pledged to be stay and be a part of the next era. For every Isaiah Bond, there is a Malachi Moore.
Most of the core roster will remain intact, and DeBoer will be able to field a team that can, at the very least, compete next season.
Once again, expectations should be tempered, and the dynasty that once was is gone.
But those hoping Alabama is headed into the ranks of college football mediocrity will likely be disappointed.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
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