DeBoer tells what is different about this year’s Alabama team at this point

Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on in the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide is 8-1 after defeating LSU 20-9 on Saturday. Now that the Tide is past the Tigers, the focus has shifted to No. 11 Oklahoma, the team that ended Alabama’s postseason hopes last season.

Both teams are in different places now, being led by different quarterbacks. Last year, the No. 7-ranked Tide, being led by quarterback Jalen Milroe, was 8-2 heading into Norman to face a 6-6 Oklahoma, with playoff hopes still intact.

When Alabama hit the field that day, the Crimson Tide put on its worst offensive performance of the season; unable to score a touchdown, it lost 24-3. Meanwhile, the defense struggled to stop the run, as it had all season.

Alabama is now being led by Heisman contender quarterback Ty Simpson and first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Kalen DeBoer spoke Wednesday about the differences between this year’s and last year’s squad at this time.

“I think we’ve come a long way,” DeBoer said. “There’s a lot of things that happened last year that in the offseason we were able to really talk through, work through. I said it many times, your experiences and your response to your experiences kind of shape who you are moving forward. There were some games, including this one, a year ago, where we really had to understand and do everything we can to not let those types of games happen again. So, I will say this: every game is its own game and every year is its own year. I tell the guys each practice, each play is its own play. So, this is a different year, they’re a better football team, we’re a better football team than a year ago. You take those experiences, and there’s certainly a lot of guys that remember what happened a year ago. And you use that as some motivation, but this is a whole different outfit that we’re seeing this year when it comes to Oklahoma.”

Although many players do remember what happened last year, the Tide can’t get caught up in the fact that this is a revenge game. It must treat this like any other game so that it can hit the field on Saturday and go out and dominate.

Both teams have new staff members and new players, so this will certainly not be the same game. DeBoer must ensure that the team is ready and prepared for an Oklahoma team with a great defense and outstanding red zone offense.