Why Alabama expects return to standard in Kalen DeBoer’s second season

“All disrespect will be addressed accordingly, and I stand on that,” Alabama senior linebacker Deontae Lawson said Wednesday.

The SEC preseason poll will likely anoint Texas the conference front-runner. Yet enthusiasts of reigning SEC champ Georgia would be the first to tell you Alabama is still a threat. Saban is gone but the scars don’t go away; especially after the Tide won a thriller over the Bulldogs last fall during coach Kalen DeBoer’s debut season.

Alabama will come to Athens for the first time in a decade Sept. 27. The Tide expect to be vastly improved from the team the Bulldogs dueled in Tuscaloosa last year.

There’s more steadiness around Alabama since the Saban-to-DeBoer transition period has concluded. This roster will reflect the new coach. He’s retained talent who bought in, and he’s bid good-bye to the players who didn’t. He lost seven players to the draft, but Alabama never has had issues replenishing. The Tide’s recruiting has been red-hot recently, so DeBoer has momentum on his side there, as well.

But uncommon in the Saban era, DeBoer had multiple “inexcusable” losses in 2024, as fans would see it. There was the Vanderbilt upset in Nashville, an embarrassment by Alabama standards. And the Tide missed the College Football Playoff largely because of a dreadful late-season showing in Norman, Oklahoma.

So despite winning nine games — tying a record for a first-year Alabama coach — and going 3-1 against Top 25 teams, there’s real pressure on DeBoer. Blame the Saban standard. It’s what DeBoer signed up for when he left Washington to replace perhaps the greatest coach in history.

He needs to deliver a CFP appearance this winter.

“If you internally ask us, no (we didn’t meet the Alabama standard),” DeBoer said. “We fell short of making the playoffs, it’s as simple as that, and giving ourselves a chance to go compete for a championship. I think there are a lot of things that I’m super proud of that are happening within the program that are part of the progression. We want it right now, too. We fell short. I’m proud of our guys and the way they’ve responded to us not realizing the goals that we set out to have.

“We’re going to take advantage of the failures we’ve had and be better because of it.”

The program is brimming with optimism. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who had so much success with DeBoer at Washington, is back on the staff after a one-year stint with the Seahawks. There’s better discipline within the program and seemingly an improved understanding of expectations among players.

Lawson and safety Keon Sabb easily could be in NFL training camps, but both are back after suffering season-ending injuries last year. The same goes for LT Overton, who’s on track to be the next first-round Alabama edge rusher. The defense should be a force, led by a strong front and deepened secondary.

The offense has all the makings. This will be a sturdy offensive line anchored by standout tackle Kadyn Proctor and center Parker Brailsford. The weapons are headlined by receiver Ryan Williams, a freshman sensation last season, veteran Germie Bernard and Miami transfer Isaiah Horton.

But as is the case always, the offensive ceiling will be determined by quarterback play. That was the case a year ago when Jalen Milroe’s fluctuations led to highs (defeating Georgia and LSU) and lows (losing to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma).

Ty Simpson, he of 50 career pass attempts, is set to take over as starter unless the big-armed Austin Mack or five-star freshman Keelon Russell prove extraordinary. That’s a recurring theme in the conference, unproven quarterbacks taking over contenders. Texas (Arch Manning) and Georgia (Gunner Stockton) are going through the same thing.

There’s optimism that Simpson, who’s been with Alabama since 2022, is prepared for this. If he isn’t, there appears to be two viable alternatives. The Tide will need a strong rushing attack to support whoever is under center (Jam Miller returns as the primary back, but the team will lack Milroe’s dynamic running ability).

Whatever happens with the quarterbacks, Alabama needs a resurgent year. They need to be back in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They need to back in the CFP. That’s what’s expected and anything less is failure regardless of the coach.

Alabama opens the season against Florida State on the road, noteworthy because DeBoer emphasized the team’s need to be better away from Tuscaloosa. And the Seminoles, who finished with a 2-10 record a season ago, surely can’t be worse. It’ll be a telling matchup to begin the season. Or at least one more valuable than a soft opener against an FCS school.

“We’ve got to be better in the big moments,” DeBoer said. They’ll have a couple chances to do just that in the first few weeks.