He endured an early whirlwind after getting hired as the new head football coach for the University of Alabama; however, Kalen DeBoer was groomed for this opportunity to follow a legend.
The 49-year-old had no fear of coming behind Nick Saban as he accepted the offer from athletics director Greg Byrne to be the new head man for the Crimson Tide. He has had success at each coaching stop in his career, but he wanted a challenge to show college football he can operate in the Southeastern Conference.
In an interview with Josh Pate of CBS Sports, DeBoer highlight specific coaching stops and legendary names that prepared him to be ready to handle the spotlight of Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“Nobody wants to follow a legend” is a lie pic.twitter.com/K7EvcFwwjm
— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) April 3, 2024
“I had a chance to follow great coaches at other universities,” DeBoer said. “I had Jeff Tedford and Pat Hill at Fresno State, and Chris Peterson was there not too soon before myself at Washington. You embrace that, and that is a privilege to be at a place like this [Alabama]. Coach Saban has done an amazing job of putting the foundation and infrastructure in that you need to be successful. We will continue to grow it, we will continue to build on it. We will continue to make the alumni and fan base proud.”
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Tedford and Hill produced success on offense at Fresno State. DeBoer witnessed Petersen have marquee success for the Huskies, including a berth in the 2016 College Football Playoff.
He looks to continue Alabama’s success, but DeBoer wants to do it his way.
Tide fans are growing with more excitement to see what DeBoer does in the upcoming fall.
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Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
