In death, Mal Moore is forever tied to Nick Saban because he hired him to be Alabama’s football coach in 2007.
Greg Byrne, the director of athletics at the University of Alabama, hired Kalen DeBoer as Saban’s successor.
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The Crimson Tide started this season 4-0 and DeBoer became the toast of Tuscaloosa (Ala.) with a 41-34 victory over Georgia on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama has hit adversity since that moment, losing two of its last three matchups.
Fans have wondered if DeBoer was truly the right move for the Tide as head coach. Byrne stood beside his hire on Friday during an interview with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. Byrne appreciates the ‘buy in’ from every Tide supporter in the DeBoer transition.
Thanks to @Greg_Byrne for taking the time on a Friday.
Listen here as he credits the players, staff, and fans for the buy in during the transition from Coach Saban to Coach DeBoer. pic.twitter.com/RJvQnNBPgB
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) October 25, 2024
“I had a very wise coach tell me just the other day, he said ‘Greg, you didn’t hire a coach for a month, you hired a coach for the long haul,” Byrne said to Finebaum. “You hired him for a marathon.”
Byrne highlighted the support of Alabama fans that have made this place special for DeBoer’s transition.
“We got the best dang fans in the country,” he said.
“They care about this place as much as any place in the country, and that is what makes this place so special.”
Byrne knows everyone is taking shots at DeBoer and the Tide right now after losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee; however, he knows DeBoer has the ability to pull the team out of the struggle. Alabama battles Missouri at 2:30 p.m. CT with a chance to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. The urgency starts now for the Tide and DeBoer is ready to prove Byrne right for his hire.
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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.
