Alabama player says Kalen DeBoer is coaching with more fire

Sep 6, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer gets the penalty on his offense from an official during the game with UL Monroe at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer is coaching Alabama football with a chip on his shoulder these days, according to the Tide’s wide receiver, Germie Bernard.

The wide receiver joined Next Round Live on Monday and discussed what he has seen from his head coach as of late.

“He just knows what is at stake,” Bernard said. “Coach DeBoer is a very nice guy and a guy that doesn’t really like to raise his voice and get loud and yell at people, but that had to change real quick. He learned that, and he understood that and he knows that he has to have a different mentality coaching in the SEC and coaching guys here in Alabama. We’re one of the top teams in the country or a very long time and it’s a standard and, he has to do everything he’s supposed to do to uphold that standard. If him changing his mentality and firing guys up, yelling at guys,  getting out of his comfort zone, if that’s what it’s going to take, then that’s what it’s going to take. A lot of guys are leaning into that because that’s just what they’ve been used to being under Saban and for Coach DeBoer to be able to change his mentality and get after guys when it needs to be done and just fire us up, it’s been really good.”

Bernard transferred to Alabama from Washington after Kalen DeBoer was hired as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, and he is now in his third season playing under DeBoer. This new DeBoer has caught him off guard.

“It’s definitely a surprise to me, seeing him have a mentality change,” Bernard said. “But, you know, we all have to have a mentality change being in the SEC. So I think it’s been really good.”

Alabama is hopeful this ‘mentality change’ by DeBoer will lead them to success.