Alabama Fans Have Forgotten Crimson Tide History

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Look, I get it: Kalen DeBoer is not Nick Saban. No one really is. But Alabama Crimson Tide fans can't seem to come to grips with that fact.

DeBoer has gone 20-8 over his first couple of seasons in Tuscaloosa, which is absolutely unacceptable to the Alabama fanbase. So is the fact that the Crimson Tide are slated to finish with a 2027 recruiting class outside the top 25.

Saban spoiled Alabama fans. It is what it is.

But Crimson Tide fans seem to be forgetting just how awful life really was before Saban, who collected six national championships during a 17-year span at 'Bama.

Prior to Saban's arrival in 2007 and Alabama's subsequent national title in 2009, the Crimson Tide had not won a championship since 1992, when Gene Stallings was running the show and led them to a 13-0 campaign.

Yes, the Stallings era was impressive. Alabama went 70-16-1 in seven seasons under Stallings, including four double-digit win showings. Then, in 1997, Mike DuBose came on to the scene … and things came apart at the seams.

The Tide went 24-23 in four years with DuBose at the helm, finishing with losing records twice. Yes, there was the 10-3 season in 1999, but, for the most part, Alabama stunk up the joint in the DuBose years.

Dennis Franchione showed some promise in 2001 and 2002, but decided to bolt Tuscaloosa for Texas A&M after just two seasons. That right there showed just how far 'Bama football had fallen at that point.

Mike Shula then arrived, and, well, yeah. You probably know the story there.

Alabama was a pedestrian football program for quite some time before Saban burst on to the scene and fixed everything, winning as many championships as Bear Bryant.

Saban is no longer in town. He left after the 2023 campaign, citing the rise of NIL as a big reason for his departure. Apparently, Saban was also a visionary.

There is no question that NIL has made life more challenging for the Crimson Tide, and DeBoer is left to pick up the pieces.

But the man just won 11 games in his second season. He led Alabama to the Rose Bowl. Yes, the Crimson Tide were humiliated by Indiana thanks to the essential reincarnation of Saban in Curt Cignetti, but how much can we really pile on DeBoer?

Alabama fans have been spoiled rotten, and they have obviously forgotten just how dark things once were. Either that, or they're just too young to remember.

This current "downturn" for the Tide is still an enviable situation for 99 percent of football schools across the country. It's time Alabama fans recognized that.

DeBoer may not bring the same level of success to Tuscaloosa as Saban did, but you know what? It's possible even Saban himself wouldn't be able to achieve that in this landscape.

So while it's fair to criticize DeBoer and identify areas in which he could be better, it's also important to be realistic and understand that Alabama is still in fine shape. Trust me: it could be much worse.

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