What Alabama football history says about Kalen DeBoer Year 3 expectations
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Kalen DeBoer is in uncharted territory.
Year 2 is complete for the Alabama football coach, one that saw the Crimson Tide’s first College Football Playoff appearance since 2023, one that saw Alabama’s first CFP win since 2021. And DeBoer isn’t going anywhere, despite noise pointing him to open jobs at Penn State and Michigan as the Crimson Tide prepared for postseason play.
“Just feel completely supported,” DeBoer said Dec. 15. “My family loves living here. Just all the things that we continue to build on. Love the progress. Haven’t talked with anyone. No plans of talking with anyone.”
That “progress,” that “build” as Year 3 begins, as Alabama builds its roster to contend for an SEC title, a CFP berth and, ultimately, a national championship, brings DeBoer into uncharted territory.
As he prepares for his seventh season as a Division I head football coach, DeBoer has never been with a program longer than two seasons. DeBoer’s most recent stint longer than two seasons was as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eastern Michigan from 2014-16.
When it comes to leading Alabama in Year 3 of a coaching tenure, DeBoer has high expectations to live up to based on the Crimson Tide’s track record.
Alabama football coaching history: How Crimson Tide has fared in Year 3
Three Alabama football coaches won national championships in their third season with the Crimson Tide.
Wallace Wade gave Alabama a national championship in his third season, leading the Crimson Tide to a perfect 10-0 record in 1925 and a Rose Bowl win against Washington.
Gene Stallings followed Wade 67 years later with a perfect 13-0 campaign in 1992, capped off with a Sugar Bowl national championship win against Miami in his third season.
And Nick Saban, in 2009, secured his first of six Alabama national championships in Year 3, beating Texas in the BCS Championship to secure an undefeated 13-0 season.
All but one Alabama coach finished their third season coaching the Crimson Tide with a losing record: Jennings Whitworth in 1957, who left after the season was complete.
Bill Curry, who led Alabama to a 10-2 record and a Sugar Bowl loss to Miami in 1989, also left after Year 3 to become the head coach at Kentucky.
From J.W.H. Pollard to Saban, Alabama coaches, in their third seasons, post a winning percentage of .753. In DeBoer’s two seasons leading the Crimson Tide, Alabama has won 71.4% of its games.
What Kalen DeBoer did in Year 3 at Sioux Falls
But DeBoer has faced this “progress,” this “build” before. Just not at the Division I level.
Before becoming a head coach at Fresno State, Washington and Alabama, DeBoer spent five seasons as the head coach at Sioux Falls, leading the Cougars to three total losses.
One of those losses came in Year 3.
Coming off an NAIA Championship, Sioux Falls brought an undefeated regular season into the postseason in 2007. One of those regular season wins was decided by less than 10 points.
But after beating St. Francis for an NAIA title in 2006, DeBoer and the Cougars lost to Carroll 17-9 in the championship game to end the 2007 season.
That loss to Carroll was DeBoer’s last at Sioux Falls. He led the Cougars to two straight NAIA championships, a stretch where the team finished 29-0 in 2008 and 2009.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: What Alabama football coaching history says about Kalen DeBoer expectations
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