5 Nick Saban football records Kalen DeBoer will struggle to break at Alabama

Kalen DeBoer's story, as he is about to coach his first games at Alabama, is like that of a dog that chased a school bus. Having caught it, he then had to figure out what he would try to do with it. The Alabama job has been a launching board for the careers of Bear Bryant and Nick Saban but has also been a spot of failure for several lesser coaches.

As the former coach, Saban will remain a looming specter over the program. And his shoes are indeed large ones to fill. Here are 5 Saban records that DeBoer would be hard-pressed to break at Alabama:

5 Nick Saban records that Kalen DeBoer will struggle to break at Alabama

Legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant is the only coach who had similar success to Nick Saban at Alabama. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

1.201 wins

Saban actually won 206 games at Alabama between 2007 and 2023, but NCAA penalties from the first team reduced the official mark to 201 games. That's still a lot of wins.

If DeBoer wins 10 games a season, that's 20 seasons to reach Saban's mark. DeBoer will turn 50 in October, so it's not impossible — but it's a steep challenge. Only 101 coaches have won 200 NCAA college games total, many of them at lower levels of competition. Saban set a high mark.

2. 87.4% winning percentage

If the win total is daunting, how about this? Even after the NCAA recalculation noted above, Saban finished his Alabama career with a robust 87.4 percent winning percentage.

DeBoer has done a fine job at Fresno State and Washington to reach the Alabama job. His winning percentage? 80.4 percent between the two schools.

In a 12-game regular season, to top Saban's totals, DeBoer will have to go 11-1. That's an incredibly tall order in an SEC that includes Georgia, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, and Ole Miss, among others.

3. 9-1 record in SEC championship games

Yes, Saban lost one SEC title game (2008, to Florida). He then reeled off nine straight title game wins. Part of the issue here is that with an increasing playoff field, the SEC could ultimately decide to forego a conference title game. After all, with no real shift in getting in or out of the CFP, why make SEC teams play an extra game?

It wouldn't be surprising if the SEC abolished the game. Even if not, good luck to DeBoer in trying to go 9-1 in those battles.

4. 6 national titles

Saban won seven titles, as he picked up one at LSU before heading to Alabama. But just his six titles at Alabama alone tied the record recognized by the NCAA of six times along with Bear Bryant.

Given the broadening playoff field and the added depth to the SEC, it's not realistic to expect a coach to win a national championship in roughly one of every three seasons coached, which Saban did at Alabama. Again, nobody has ever done that elsewhere or at any other time.

5. 86.7% SEC winning percentage

As impressive as Saban's overall winning percentage at Alabama was, it won't top his 86.7 percent winning percentage in conference play. In all, Saban had six unbeaten seasons of SEC play at Alabama and another seven seasons with just one loss. That leaves only four seasons with two or more league losses, two of which were 6-2 campaigns.

Kalen DeBoer will have to average a 7-1 SEC season to barely crack Saban's record. His conference-winning percentage at Fresno State and Washington was just 78.1 percent.

In DeBoer's defense, the only Division I head coach whose career winning percentage would top Saban's in league play was the late Knute Rockne. Rockne last coached a game in 1930.

Which records of Nick Saban at Alabama will stand forever? Share your thoughts below in our comments section!