Since he first took the job in January, there has been a perception floating around the Crimson Tide fanbase, that new head coach Kalen DeBoer’s calm demeanor shows that he is soft or demonstrates that he doesn’t get after his players like Nick Saban once did.
However, former Alabama quarterback and current SEC Network and Birmingham radio personality Greg McElroy disagreed and said that the notion couldn’t be further from the truth on his Always College Football podcast:
.@GregMcElroy debunks a myth about Kalen DeBoer 👀
"Just because he's got a little bit more of an approachable demeanor in the press conferences doesn't mean he's not a guy who will absolutely get after you."#RollTide 🐘 pic.twitter.com/5CzBoL1SNW
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) October 28, 2024
“A lot of people have said that Kalen DeBoer is not a guy who’s gonna get in people’s faces, that is just completely inaccurate and all I have to do is point at one example,” McElroy said. “Kalen DeBoer called late in the game to preserve a shutout and the sideline went berserk…Later in the game the second team offense was on the field and he saw something from one offensive lineman that he didn’t love and he absolutely wore him out…Just because he’s got a little bit more of an approachable demeanor in the press conferences doesn’t mean he’s not a guy that will absolutely get after you both on the field and behind closed doors.”
DeBoer has certainly brought his own style to Tuscaloosa in the wake of succeeding Nick Saban, but fans must allow him to do it his own way. If he tries to be Nick Saban, he will fail. But he can be Kalen DeBoer, and Kalen DeBoer has proven to be a pretty dang good football coach.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are scheduled to return after this weekend’s bye for a string of must-win matchups that could determine if the team gains a spot in the 2024-2025 College Football Playoff.
It starts next week in Baton Rouge in what has already become an elimination game for both LSU and the Crimson Tide. It is being billed as the biggest night game in Death Valley so far this year.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
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