The expectations at Alabama are so high because of what Nick Saban was able to do during his legendary stint with the Crimson Tide that even a good season doesn’t feel all that good in Tuscaloosa.
That was the case in new head coach Kalen DeBoer’s first season. The Tide went 9-4 — which isn’t a half-bad record at many schools — and toward the end of the year, they were being considered for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Alabama didn’t make the CFP, though, and then lost to Michigan in a bowl game. Perhaps things didn’t end great in 2024 for the Tide, but there’s a different feeling in 2025. According to longtime senior associate athletic director Jeff Allen, the program seems to be more at ease heading into DeBoer’s second season.
In 2024, the Tide were getting used to something different, and change isn’t always easy.
“Not that last spring was bad, but there’s a learning curve to a new staff, to a new coach for everybody in the building,” Allen explained on the “Hey Coach” show on the Crimson Tide Sports Network (h/t Tuscaloosa News). “I don’t care who you are, what you do. We have to change to do things for what he wants. Same with the players. They were learning a new offense. They were learning a new defense. Most of them had new position coaches. They clearly had a new head coach. So I would say the difference is everybody seems more comfortable.”
Comfort could be key for the Tide heading into this 2025 season. Not only are the players more comfortable, but one would imagine that DeBoer is more comfortable in his new digs as well.
He was always going to be under pressure replacing Saban, but he now has a year of experience with it. Sometimes it probably felt like too much — like when Alabama lost to Vanderbilt — and at other times Alabama rose up to the challenge and met the moment.
The 2025 season is a fresh start for both DeBoer and his team. There will be new faces in new places on the roster, and last season’s results only matter as much as the Crimson Tide will allow them to.
Ultimately, comfort is good, because when a team has a sense of ease, it tends to play better.
“Sometimes in sports we don’t like that word comfortable, but in this situation, that’s a good thing,” Allen explained. “Our players are comfortable, they want to be here, they know they want to be here and you can sense a different demeanor.”
