Why did Alabama hire Kalen DeBoer? When 7x champ Nick Saban weighed in on his successor's abilities

After spending 17 long years at Alabama and a total of 28 years as a head coach, Nick Saban passed the torch to former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer on Jan. 10, 2024.

Many analysts, like Joel Klatt, believe that DeBoer was the best person to take forward Saban's legacy at Alabama. DeBoer is one of the most successful coaches in the current era, with an overall coaching record of 104-12.

During a press conference following his retirement, Nick Saban gave a seal of approval to Kalen DeBoer and offered to help him anytime following his retirement.

"I want nothing more than to see Alabama football continue to be successful, and Coach DeBoer is an outstanding choice to lead this program," Saban said. "He has a proven track record of success and is one of the brightest football minds.

"Coach Deboer has an excellent understanding of what it takes to be a successful head coach, whether it's coaching, recruiting, developing players or building a culture. He has done a fantastic job at every stop of his coaching career, and I am excited to see what he will be able to accomplish in Tuscaloosa.

"Terry and I will be here to support Coach DeBoer and his family with anything they need."

How was Kalen DeBoer's Alabama's first fall camp training with pads on?

The Crimson Tide crew got a taste of the 2024 college football season for the first time as they trained with full pads on Wednesday.

Kalen DeBoer's offense is among the strongest in the nation, with powerhouses like Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, Kadyn Proctor, and more expressing excitement to be coached by DeBoer due to his offensive mindset.

Talking about the guys' progress during 2024 fall camp, coach Nick Sheridan shared his insights:

“I thought they acclimated and did a nice job that way, and I’m sure there’ll be things that will go back and also improve on. But for a lot of the guys, whether you put thigh pads on for the offensive line, that doesn’t change their practice, you know? It’s really more the runners, the guys that are carrying the ball, acclimating to getting full speed tackles.”

Fans would be interested to see how Alabama performs during their first year playing under Coach DeBoer's offense in the 2024 college football season.