DeBoer reveals biggest lesson Alabama learned from 2025 season

Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on in the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Alabama Crimson Tide ended the 2025 campaign in disappointing fashion despite a promising year overall. 

Alabama held an 11-4 record across 2025. Head coach Kalen DeBoer was able to make significant improvements throughout his second year in Tuscaloosa, and the Tide as a whole will now look to build upon last season’s success in 2026. 

DeBoer recently took a moment to reveal the biggest lesson the team as a whole learned from the 2025 season, as the Crimson Tide head coach claims Alabama remains locked in on the ultimate goal of winning a National Championship. 

“Unfortunately, at the end of the year, as we know, we took some really hard losses. It also showed us where the bar’s at, what we got to be, and I think this team this year has understood that.” DeBoer said during an interview with ABC 33/40. “The action and the work supports the goals that we have to win championships here. We just literally walked out of the team room, and it’s not about just getting to the conference championship, it’s about winning it. It’s not just about making the playoffs, it’s winning the whole thing. And so, you know, we don’t talk about that much because in the end it’s about the steps and the habits and the day-to-day process that you’re focused on.”

DeBoer and the Tide will enter the 2026 season with a plethora of young talent on both sides of the football. The Alabama head coach has made his goals clear entering the new campaign, and the Crimson Tide appear to have learned a valuable lesson following 2025 nonetheless.