Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer Receives Strong Dan Lanning Take

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It was never going to be easy for Kalen DeBoer, who was attempting to fill the shoes of the legendary Nick Saban when he took the Alabama Crimson Tide head-coaching job heading into the 2024 college football season.

Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for Alabama fans to want DeBoer out the door, as the Crimson Tide went 9-4 during his debut campaign and lost to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Then, last year, Alabama suffered an embarrassing season-opening loss to Florida State, which had DeBoer's seat hotter than ever.

However, the Crimson Tide rebounded to go 11-4, ultimately falling to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. It wasn't Saban-like, but it was at least a a step in the right direction, and back in April, 'Bama rewarded DeBoer with an extension.

Nevertheless, plenty of fans in Tuscaloosa are still not sold on DeBoer. Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy is not one of those people, raving about the job DeBoer had previously done at Washington and comparing it to Dan Lanning's task at Oregon, which was not quite as arduous.

"He went 14-1 at Washington, ended one game short, lost to Michigan in the National Championship Game," McElroy said on the Mac and Cube show. "In the process, he is undefeated against Dan Lanning, who came in at No. 5. Reminder: when he got to Washington, he didn’t step into a great situation. The year before he arrived, that team went 4-8."

McElroy has a point. When Lanning took over as head coach of the Ducks in 2022, they had just gone 10-4 the year prior. There is no question he has elevated the program, but he also stepped into a far superior scenario to the one DeBoer did at Washington.

“He has done an incredible job in one score contests. …He’s 30-9," McElroy added. "Coaches who consistently win games that come down to the final possession are, in most cases, outcoaching the opposition. … Would you like him to win games by 40? Awesome. Cool. I just want him to win games, and he’s done that at a pretty remarkable clip.”

Alabama fans were obviously spoiled by Saban, who captured six national championships throughout his 17-year run with the Crimson Tide. But they need to give DeBoer some grace.

After all, DeBoer has only been around for two years, so he needs some time to develop his reputation.

Of course, putting together a rather subpar 2027 recruiting class hasn't exactly helped his case, but that also has a lot to do with NIL.

We'll see if DeBoer can lead Alabama to a strong campaign this coming fall and potentially convert more Crimson Tide fans along the way.

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