TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Try to imagine Kalen DeBoer scrambling. Not like his quarterback, but like most of us burdened with a million things to do in our daily lives.
Through eight months as Alabama’s coach, it has been difficult to imagine DeBoer being stressed at all. But back in January, DeBoer and his former Washington team needed something of a compliance Hail Mary.
The Huskies had just returned to Seattle from a College Football Playoff semifinal win in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The turnaround was so quick between the Jan. 1 semifinal and the Jan. 8 national championship game in Houston that Washington had a small request for the NCAA: allow the Washington players to skip class.
UW is on the quarter system, and classes had begun Jan. 3, two days after the semifinal. NCAA rules require players to be in class between games once they return to campus.
Those same rules permit athletes to miss class ahead of the College Football Playoff Championship Game if they are on the road.
“We were up until 4 a.m. in the morning [on Jan. 2] writing a waiver to the NCAA,” DeBoer told CBS Sports last week. “If you’re telling your kids not to go to class, there are violations with that.”
Washington got the waiver. There were no violations. And, yes, the players were allowed to miss class from Jan. 3-5 while practicing. Not that it mattered, as it turned out. Despite a season for the ages, the Huskies were blown out by Michigan in that championship game.
“I think we were the first team to play a championship game and be in classes,” DeBoer said.
Any lessons learned from that game prep aren’t evident as DeBoer prepares for the next big game of his career. More importantly, it is the first big game of his Alabama career — yes, Alabama’s game at Wisconsin was a hyped-up Week 3 matchup, but the Tide were 14-point favorites. This is DeBoer’s first time truly in the Tuscaloosa pressure-cooker.
Not much of anything resembling an elevated heartbeat was evident as DeBoer sat in his office recently, contemplating No. 2 Georgia coming to town.
“It’s a big game, but I think you understand, being through many big games, they’re relative,” the coach said. “You just pour everything you can into your people, your process. That’s all you can do.”
Three games into his Alabama career, DeBoer has experienced a seamless transition. The Tide are 3-0, and while there are always flaws nit-picked by the faithful, this is how a transition from Saban was supposed to look.
During Georgia week, Saban would be especially on edge — with the media, with his coaches, with the program.
Now Saban’s the one critiquing his old program on GameDay.
“I caught him on TV for just a short bit,” DeBoer said. “He’s great. I saw a highlight [with] him and Pat McAfee. … He called me [during the draft], and we talked for 45 minutes or so. We talked about all the Washington guys.
“Everybody is saying, ‘Have you seen him?’ I think he’s pretty busy too.”
You’d barely recognize the place under DeBoer, except for the winning. Practices are in the morning. Music is played. When making out monthly day-to-day schedules, DeBoer makes sure he sends a note to all the coaches’ wives noting vacation time, just in case their assistant coach husbands forget.
“We’re as physical as we’ve ever been,” offensive guard Tyler Booker told ESPN.
That should not be forgotten this week of the Dawgs. The winner claims some kind of primacy in the SEC five weeks into the season.
The Georgia game would always carry extra juice because Kirby Smart was facing his old boss. That won’t happen again. Saban left the game 5-1 against his old defensive coordinator. Saban is the only coach to beat Smart in each of the last three seasons.
But mostly, Smart and the Bulldogs have left the game in their wake lately. Georgia is the nation’s best program, having won two of the last three championships. It is a recruiting steamroller. Smart is relentless. This is how it was meant to be: two programs measuring themselves against each other.
Bitterness seems to prevail in one way or another each time they meet. Last year’s SEC Championship Game loss to Bama by three points kept Georgia out of the playoff. Saban’s only loss to Smart came in the 2021 CFP Championship Game.
The last coach not named Saban to beat Smart is sitting in a Bristol, Conn., studio — Dan Mullen. Welcome to the jungle, then, Kalen DeBoer.
“This job, I think, is different than most others,” he said.
Kalen DeBoer’s career vs. AP Top 25 teams
| Team | W-L | ATS | PPG | OPP PPG | PPG Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W/Fresno St | 2-1 | 3-0 | 31.3 | 29.3 | +2.0 |
| W/Washington | 10-1 | 7-3-1 | 32.4 | 29.3 | +3.1 |
It doesn’t take much to admit that. It takes a lot to assimilate into the Bama culture. Everyone wants a part of the Alabama coach. DeBoer not only tolerates it, he revels in it.
“It’s good to have the excitement — in Montgomery, Huntsville, and Birmingham,” he said.
At Alabama, they don’t worry about waivers. The postseason adjusts to Bama rather than the other way around. And so far, the Tide have the look of hanging around those playoffs again.
Freshman Ryan Williams might be the face of the program. Sports information has determined Williams, 17, is the youngest player in the nation. The highest-rated Alabama receiver commit since Julio Jones has 10 catches for 285 yards and four touchdowns. That translates to an 1,100-yard, 16-touchdown season.
Those four touchdowns are as many as Jaylen Waddle, Jerry Jeudy, Julio Jones, and DeVonta Smith had combined through their first three games.
“When I think of a fire hose, I see someone’s mouth getting blown wide open when they’re drinking through a fire hose,” Alabama wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard told reporters. “[Ryan’s] fire hose must be pretty small because, I mean, this dude is conscientious, understands the game, understands what we’re asking him, and the moment’s not too big for him.”
The new staff has subtly turned quarterback Jalen Milroe into more of a runner. After three games last season, Milroe had been benched against South Florida. After four games this season, Milroe is second in the SEC in passer rating. And more planned runs are being called for the player who finished third last year in yards per pass (10.0). Milroe is the first FBS player with multiple passing touchdowns and multiple rushing touchdowns in each of his first three games since Nevada‘s Colin Kaepernick in 2010.
“I think there were some games last year where he was utilized, where it was intentional, or he was just taking off using his legs,” DeBoer said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re managing that.”
Milroe and Williams have already capitalized on their NIL fame, producing merch adorned with the trademark equation “4+2=6.” If you haven’t figured it out, look up their numbers.
As for that playoff, DeBoer is planning on it. Well, sort of. The coach offered a look at his “big board” in a meeting room. Players the Tide covet? Nope, not on this board at least. Instead: A giant calendar contained every football activity through next June.
It would be hard to miss that Jan. 20, 2025, has been blocked out on that calendar for the national championship game. DeBoer knows the demands might be greater this season with the field tripled to 12. Just making the playoff won’t be enough.
And if the Tide make it, no waiver will be needed. A championship will be expected.
