Nick Saban would tell Alabama players each year “this is your team,” though he was the head coach for 17 seasons.
Saban knew the best championship teams of his tenure at the University of Alabama were those where the players took ownership in the locker room. The teams that did not win national titles were those where Saban had to do more work than normal.
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Kalen DeBoer has a firm understanding of the significance of teams being player led.
His players were leaders at Sioux Falls from 2005 to 2009, winning three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships in 2006, 2008, and 2009. DeBoer’s success carried him to building winning cultures at Indiana, Fresno State, and Washington. He had a player led team for the Huskies in 2023, as the program won a Pac-12 Championship and earned a berth in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. In a recent interview with Adam Breneman, a College Football analyst and host of Next Up, DeBoer laid out the importance of having a team that is led by the players.
.@KalenDeBoer wants his team to be player-led.
Yes, he’s still the leader, but he and the Alabama staff can only do so much.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the players caring for each other ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/P6Hl1Rrix7
— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) July 2, 2024
“When we are a player led team, the sky’s the limit,” DeBoer said. “It is always about the staff and their leadership providing the framework and parameters, but really it’s getting these guys to take ownership. So it is re-emphasizing and really, as you come into a program, focusing on the most important things in those priorities and it still revolves around the guys.”
DeBoer said he can see Alabama developing into a player led team right now. Names such as Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, Jaeden Roberts, Malachi Moore, Deontae Lawson, and DeVonta Smith have taken ownership of the group.
This year’s team has a togetherness and fans want to see it win a national championship.
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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.
