Alabama Football - Now Featuring Kalen DeBoer

[Mikey4 2,476]

The situation with Saban will force a change, but not in the rules. It will change the timing of firings and retirements so that a school is less likely to get worked over like this. The problem is not with allowing transfers after a coaching change. The problem is Saban retiring as the portal window was closing.

[Gut Wagon 8,054]

Of course, had Bama succeeded in luring Sark to Tuscaloosa, Texas would have been the team potentially getting picked over. I somehow doubt that would have caused much handwringing in Title Town. Those slackjaws set off this whole chain of unintended consequences when St. Nick failed to pull the trigger on time. They can say what they want about doomsday lurking, but every bit of their current mess in on them. 

[troph 24,678]

1 hour ago, Hookem10 said:

During the Charlie strong years I fking went shopping with my wife during games and just checked final score to see how much we lost by……..DARK TIMES. I think I watched crazy rich Asians during a game once. TERRRRIBLE 

Look the fact that you watched shitty movies and went shopping that’s on you. Some of us went fishing, hiking and got laid on those Saturdays. Everyone has to own their choices buddy. 

[Jkwellborn 6,670]

Maybe Saban did this to screw over Bama and help cement his legacy as unfollowable.

[MisterP 127]

10 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

Maybe Saban did this to screw over Bama and help cement his legacy as unfollowable.

Pulled the ole' mack brown that conniving bastard.

Edited January 19 by MisterP

[Hookem10 655]

14 minutes ago, troph said:

Look the fact that you watched shitty movies and went shopping that’s on you. Some of us went fishing, hiking and got laid on those Saturdays. Everyone has to own their choices buddy. 

I’m married so I definitely didn’t get laid 

[msucolt45 4,035]

Bama is headed straight back into the post-Stallings and pre-Saban era! That fact will be hard for them to understand that “bags” and the Saban “promise” of NFL draft status don’t carry the water anymore.

DeBoer is a historical great coach, but in today’s timeframe, that ain’t bringing in the Jimmys and the Joes! Time will tell, but IMO, I like my odds.

Hook’em!!!

[LTtxfan 49,059]

Sources confirm Kalen DeBoer and Alabama adding a Big Ten coordinator to staff

DOUG SAMUELS     1 HOUR AGO

Kalen DeBoer is assembling a strong staff at Alabama that has already pulled two defensive assistants from FBS head coaching opportunities.

Sources confirm to FootballScoop that the Tide are set to add a Big Ten coordinator to the staff as well.  Colin Hitschler, the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Wisconsin, is reportedly joining the defensive staff in Tuscaloosa.

Prior to joining the Wisconsin staff, Hitschler worked with Luke Fickell at Cincinnati, where he was voted by his peers as the FootballScoop 2020 Defensive Backs Coach of the Year, alongside his coaching colleague Perry Eliano in the secondary.

That season, the secondary of the Bearcats allowed just seven touchdown passes over the course of 10 games, and went three full games before allowing their first touchdown pass in week four. Perhaps even more impressive, seven different Bearcats had interceptions that season, with six of those seven collecting multiple picks.

Hitschler spent three seasons coaching the safeties in Cincinnati after earning a nod to the on-field staff after initially joining the Bearcats as a quality control coach.

Hitschler has a unique background, starting off as a small college coach and collecting some NFL experience before climbing the ranks each place he's spent more than a year.

At South Alabama, he joined the staff in 2014 as a graduate assistant and earned a promotion to director of football operations role after just one season. Following two years in that role, he moved to an on-field role coaching the safeties.

 

Edited January 19 by LTtxfan

[troph 24,678]

So what’s DeBoer’s grade so far on assistants? 

[msucolt45 4,035]

All I know is that “Bama Fan” is starting to make “Florida Man” and what happens there more realistic. My future SEC travels might be limited to Nashville and Knoxville? Maybe sprinkle in Athens on a frugal year?

Hook’em!!!

[WBT 20,486]

Quote

Sinking of the CSS Alabama (1922), by Xanthus Smith,
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Hyde Park, New York

 

[hook me 2,092]

23 hours ago, G650 said:

 I wouldn't tie up that much of your emotional well being in teenagers chasing a ball around a field my friend. I lived through the wilderness for many, many years with Alabama, it was never really a thing. Just an annual "ah well, nevertheless."

I wouldn't say I was happy Saban retired, but it definitely makes it more interesting. I didn't even watch the last two Alabama championship appearances, it honestly got to the point where it was just oppressive.

Whatever wilderness you're claiming is going to look like the Disney Jungle Cruise compared to what you're about to go through. You're only hopes are 1) Deboer can work his magic in < 2 years and get y'all back to competing for SEC championships by 2025 or 2) Saban comes out of retirement before the 2026 season to take it back over and save the program. You're not getting the Saban discount, paying players is now legal, & the team is losing a LOT of talent. We'll see what happens in the Spring portal window but right now you're looking at 8-9 wins (MAYBE) & a lot of shock for Bama fans. It's only going to be more difficult to pull proven coaches so, if Deboer falls flat, you're likely playing P5 coordinator/G5 coach roulette in 3 years &, even if you hit on a good one, good luck stacking the roster the way you have the last 15 years. It's a good thing you got sick of championships because you're not going to have to worry about one for a minute.

[G650 14,143]

3 minutes ago, hook me said:

right now you're looking at 8-9 wins (MAYBE)

 

Man what do you think Alabama football was like before Saban.

[BHMCruiser 1,813]

I don't understand why everybody is upset. There is no "good time" to lose the best coach of all time. His leaving obviously has negative consequences for retention and recruiting. Furthermore, these kids went to Alabama mainly to play for and be developed by Saban. Once he left how can you possibly be upset at the player for making decisions in his own best interest? And by the way acting like a douche who is owed loyalty by students from all over the country will not be helpful for recruiting in the long run. 

Wish them well, thank them for their effort and loyalty, and go recruit your ass off and then kick off late August and let's play the fucking game.

[BurntEyes 5,863]

1 hour ago, G650 said:

 

Man what do you think Alabama football was like before Saban.

😉

[Fondren & Main 6,679]

1 hour ago, G650 said:

 

Man what do you think Alabama football was like before Saban.

Piss seasons with an occasional good one for a good stretch.

[G650 14,143]

2 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

😉

 

Just now, Fondren &amp; Main said:

Piss seasons with an occasional good one for a good stretch.

 

Exactly.

 

[TrashMaster G 17,438]

14 hours ago, troph said:

So what’s DeBoer’s grade so far on assistants? 

B as in "Better than aggy"

[Rio Don 104]

31 minutes ago, BurntEyes said:

😉

There's not enough sand in the Sahara for the number of pearls these guys are going to make when they start losing. 

[Vertigo 20,274]

15 hours ago, troph said:

So what’s DeBoer’s grade so far on assistants? 

I have honestly been pretty impressed at what he is bringing with him so far. They are all great coaches, TBD on if they can recruit. 

[hook me 2,092]

3 hours ago, G650 said:

 

Man what do you think Alabama football was like before Saban.

That's 8-9 wins this year, while you still have a roster of Saban recruits and developed players & you're still allowed to schedule the likes of Mercer. The point of the post wasn't to say that Bama fans have never experienced 8 win seasons, but that it's been 15+ fucking years & once you've been in the penthouse that long you forget what the outhouse is like. It won't be long until you'll start to hear your fanbase say things like "We weren't this bad even during the Shula/Dubose/Perkins regimes" & that's when you'll know you're in the wilderness. You'll long to just be relevant in November again. Bama fans will hope for a mostly competent 8 or 9 win season to show that (insert the name of the coach here) may have finally started to turn the corner. 

OR

DeBoer is THAT dude, I'm living in a fantasy land, & you don't miss a beat except for maybe this year & you quote this post in a few years to mock me. Should be interesting either way it goes.

[BHMCruiser 1,813]

DeBoer is a good coach and we will be lucky to have him. It could have been a disaster. But things will never be the same. And that's okay. 

 

FYI people are genuinely losing their minds down here about the portal departures. It's crazy. 

[Fondren & Main 6,679]

Mackovic was a good coach and even won a few conference championships, but he was also a tremendously arrogant prick.

I'm not saying DeBoer is Mackovic, but he sure is acting like him for no reason at all currently.  Should be fun to watch.

[BurntEyes 5,863]

Mackovic was NOT a good coach. 

[Vertigo 20,274]

26 minutes ago, BHMCruiser said:

DeBoer is a good coach and we will be lucky to have him. It could have been a disaster. But things will never be the same. And that's okay. 

 

FYI people are genuinely losing their minds down here about the portal departures. It's crazy. 

Sayin is a genuine headscratcher. Downs and Bond are huge kicks to the nuts. I am really curious how next year looks for Bama, but my guess is 9 wins. 

[G650 14,143]

1 hour ago, hook me said:

The point of the post wasn't to say that Bama fans have never experienced 8 win seasons

My point is Alabama was 4 and 7 my freshman year of college. They were 3 and fucking 8 in 2000. Hell they were 0 and 7 from vacated wins one year lol.

 

8 wins and beat Tennessee regularly and the Barn often enough and I'm hunky dory man. Anyone over the age of 40 will tell you the same. Really upon reflection, after the past 17 years they could not win another game and I'm not that broken up about it.

[BHMCruiser 1,813]

1 hour ago, Fondren &amp; Main said:

Mackovic was a good coach and even won a few conference championships, but he was also a tremendously arrogant prick.

I'm not saying DeBoer is Mackovic, but he sure is acting like him for no reason at all currently.  Should be fun to watch.

How is he acting like anything? I have heard him talk one time and I live in Birmingham. I think he's just trying to put together a staff, retain as many players as possible, and retain as many recruits as possible. 

[BHMCruiser 1,813]

1 hour ago, Vertigo said:

Sayin is a genuine headscratcher. Downs and Bond are huge kicks to the nuts. I am really curious how next year looks for Bama, but my guess is 9 wins. 

Sayin makes sense to me. There are better coaches out there and unless DeBoer has the guts to walk into the QB room and say "Milroe thanks for the memories but you're out and Sayin you're the man now" (which would probably lose him every decent player on the team) then Sayin can enter the portal and sky's the limit. I get it. 

Downs is a huge loss. He was among the best freshmen I've ever seen at Alabama. Bond is very good but I don't think his loss is that big. 

[closetojumping 62,275]

12 minutes ago, BHMCruiser said:

Sayin makes sense to me. There are better coaches out there and unless DeBoer has the guts to walk into the QB room and say "Milroe thanks for the memories but you're out and Sayin you're the man now" (which would probably lose him every decent player on the team) then Sayin can enter the portal and sky's the limit. I get it. 

Downs is a huge loss. He was among the best freshmen I've ever seen at Alabama. Bond is very good but I don't think his loss is that big. 

You don't have the explosive types at WR that you're used to and Bond was as close as you were getting to that. It's been a known thing in recruiting for a few years. There's been a ton of whiffs on the WR side since Wiggins got there. I listened to one of the Bama insider guys talk to XM84 during their Bama preview this summer. They asked him about WR and he mentioned Burton and Brooks and then said, yeah, not the same as it ever was, but this Malik Benson juco guy coming is going to be amazing! I laughed. That dude was poo this year and now he's off to FSU. 

Bond will look like a different player in Sarkisian's offense with Ewers throwing to him. I think his loss is bigger than you think, largely because you guys have dogshit behind him on the roster. 

Part of why Downs is gone, and why multiple other guys might be leaving, is that Deboer and Byrne immediately gutted the support staff. As was told to me today by someone there - Downs lost his position coach, his position support coach, his player personnel contact, and everyone he dealt with on the health, wellness, and nutrition front, all in the span of 4 days. He went from having no interest in leaving to wondering why in the fuck he was staying. His family member or agent had already received outreach from Ohio State, so in the portal he went. 

[BHMCruiser 1,813]

25 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Part of why Downs is gone, and why multiple other guys might be leaving, is that Deboer and Byrne immediately gutted the support staff. As was told to me today by someone there - Downs lost his position coach, his position support coach, his player personnel contact, and everyone he dealt with on the health, wellness, and nutrition front, all in the span of 4 days. He went from having no interest in leaving to wondering why in the fuck he was staying. His family member or agent had already received outreach from Ohio State, so in the portal he went. 

I have not heard anything about the support staff. DeBoer tried to hire Downs' position coach as the DC but he declined and went to UGA. 

Like I said, Bond is very very good. He was my favorite WR this year by far. I don't think WRs matter that much if Milroe is the QB because he is so limited as a passer. 

Again, anybody who thought Saban would retire but that everything would still be fine at Alabama is an idiot. I think all this attrition is totally understandable and getting upset is stupid. 

Being a WR for Milroe is like the old joke about Helen Keller's dog running away

[dingleberryswitzer 2,724]

21 hours ago, Gut Wagon said:

They can say what they want about doomsday lurking, but every bit of their current mess in on them. 

Let’s not even call it a mess.  They are simply coming my back to the reality that almost every other team in the country has to deal with.  
Deboer is a still a good coach, but instead of being in the championship hunt literally every year, maybe bama is in the hunt every 3-5 years.  Boo hoo for them. 

[Fondren & Main 6,679]

20 hours ago, BHMCruiser said:

I have not heard anything about the support staff. DeBoer tried to hire Downs' position coach as the DC but he declined and went to UGA. 

Like I said, Bond is very very good. He was my favorite WR this year by far. I don't think WRs matter that much if Milroe is the QB because he is so limited as a passer. 

Again, anybody who thought Saban would retire but that everything would still be fine at Alabama is an idiot. I think all this attrition is totally understandable and getting upset is stupid. 

Being a WR for Milroe is like the old joke about Helen Keller's dog running away

Greg Davis could do a better job with Milroe than your current coordinator.  Think about that.

[A’Dam Psycho 1,469]

Wash was ranked 36th in recruiting before he left and dude can’t get anybody to stay at Bama even as sure starters. DeBoer is gonna prove to be a fraud without Penix

[Surly Bevo 24,867]

21 hours ago, BHMCruiser said:

I have not heard anything about the support staff. DeBoer tried to hire Downs' position coach as the DC but he declined and went to UGA. 

I have a connection to support staff, can confirm stupidly gutted...

[Catdaddyhorn 3,444]

I think the gutting has to due with financial issues.  According to the Buf Elliot and some of thr guys on the Saturday's Down Podcast the stuff coming out about how much of an NIL discount having Saban as their coach got Bama is shocking. And as a result their NIL budget is severely lacking now that they have to operate on equal terms with everyone else. 

Edited January 20 by Catdaddyhorn

[PilotsError 2,286]

2 hours ago, A’Dam Psycho said:

Wash was ranked 36th in recruiting before he left and dude can’t get anybody to stay at Bama even as sure starters. DeBoer is gonna prove to be a fraud without Penix

 

JFC.  He is not a fraud.  His head coaching record is stellar.  Not having a QB like Penix does not make a fucking coach a fraud. Not being as good as Saban is not a fraud. 

[LateAughtsHorn 588]

34 minutes ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

I think the gutting has to due with financial issues.  According to the Buf Elliot and some of thr guys on the Saturday's Down Podcast the stuff coming out about how much of an NIL discount having Saban as their coach got Bama is shocking. And as a result their NIL budget is severely lacking now that they have to operate on equal terms with everyone else. 

Seems crazy to me that Bama didn't prepare for this and start working on a more robust NIL infrastructure. Did they really think nothing was gonna change after Saban left?

[Thermos H. Christ 478]

19 minutes ago, PilotsError said:

 

JFC.  He is not a fraud.  His head coaching record is stellar.  Not having a QB like Penix does not make a fucking coach a fraud. Not being as good as Saban is not a fraud. 

Strongly agreed on all points, but it’s also true that recruiting is one area where he remains unproven at best. I don’t think we’ll know how well he can recruit at Bama until the end of the next recruiting cycle at the very least. 

[thunderlounge 7,778]

6 minutes ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

Seems crazy to me that Bama didn't prepare for this and start working on a more robust NIL infrastructure. Did they really think nothing was gonna change after Saban left?

I thought they were building some kind of NIL center/complex/whatever to connect and advise student athletes?

 

[Not a cat 5,623]

11 minutes ago, LateAughtsHorn said:

Seems crazy to me that Bama didn't prepare for this and start working on a more robust NIL infrastructure. Did they really think nothing was gonna change after Saban left?

It's almost as if making the 4 team playoffs every year and winning it almost half the time lulled them into a sense of complacency.

Given bama's NIL problems, combined with tOSU's hiring at AD, well that couldn't happen to 2 more deserving programs.

 

[Deej 76,637]

2 minutes ago, Not a cat said:

combined with tOSU's hiring at AD

tOSU knew what they were doing.

 

[Bevo14 8,282]

1 hour ago, Catdaddyhorn said:

I think the gutting has to due with financial issues.  According to the Buf Elliot and some of thr guys on the Saturday's Down Podcast the stuff coming out about how much of an NIL discount having Saban as their coach got Bama is shocking. And as a result their NIL budget is severely lacking now that they have to operate on equal terms with everyone else. 

[Keef 759]

I find it impressive how quickly Bama fans have rationalized their new coach's firing a top-five overall quarterback recruit within a few days of his arriving on campus, all without actually seeing said recruit play in person.

[T-shirt Sip 2,097]

3 hours ago, thunderlounge said:

I thought they were building some kind of NIL center/complex/whatever to connect and advise student athletes?

 

My wife donates $25/mo so they at least have $300 to spread around to their starters. 

[A’Dam Psycho 1,469]

5 hours ago, PilotsError said:

 

JFC.  He is not a fraud.  His head coaching record is stellar.  Not having a QB like Penix does not make a fucking coach a fraud. Not being as good as Saban is not a fraud. 

He’s had 27 kids leave and a bunch of prospects decommit. What more evidence do you need to say the guy can’t recruit? You think he’s winning at Bama with 3 stars and mid 4 stars?

[Ghost of TripsRight 5]

29 minutes ago, A’Dam Psycho said:

He’s had 27 kids leave and a bunch of prospects decommit. What more evidence do you need to say the guy can’t recruit? You think he’s winning at Bama with 3 stars and mid 4 stars?

You do understand incoming coaches want to play “their guys” (ie, ones they recruit, not ones they inherit), broadly, for multiple reasons?

Bama players and commits heading elsewhere is 100% rationale, not an indictment of DeBoer per se.

[Doc Sam Beckett 5,785]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:08 PM, G650 said:

My point is Alabama was 4 and 7 my freshman year of college. They were 3 and fucking 8 in 2000. Hell they were 0 and 7 from vacated wins one year lol.

 

8 wins and beat Tennessee regularly and the Barn often enough and I'm hunky dory man. Anyone over the age of 40 will tell you the same. Really upon reflection, after the past 17 years they could not win another game and I'm not that broken up about it.

My first game at Clemson was a double overtime win against Wake Forest. I had so much fun. The rednecks were fucking pissed. "Oh I thought I came up from Charleston for a game, fucking guess not" 

[stork642 4,498]

So Bama paid players under the table and had the best coach.  Two huge advantages which are now gone.  I understand why they don’t like it but well…too fucking bad.  I’ll never understand how some people think it’s unfair to have an open market(bad) vs paying players under the table(good).  Insanity.  

Edited January 21 by stork642

[RDCanecutter 26,346]

4 hours ago, Keef said:

I find it impressive how quickly Bama fans have rationalized their new coach's firing a top-five overall quarterback recruit within a few days of his arriving on campus, all without actually seeing said recruit play in person.

A key component of getting back to Old-Timey Machine Ball is to run off every flashy quarterback.

[markstanco 12,546]

He’s had 27 kids leave and a bunch of prospects decommit. What more evidence do you need to say the guy can’t recruit? You think he’s winning at Bama with 3 stars and mid 4 stars?

And 20 players left them last year with the very best recruiter of all time. For somebody to say that in under 100 hours on the job is a bad recruiter is fucking dumb and uninformed.

Im not even taking up for him or Alabama. When a head coach leaves, a lot of players do and recruits as well. It isn’t hard to understand.