On Wednesday morning, Alabama head football coach Kalen DeBoer took the stage for his first appearance at SEC Media Days while Nick Saban stood in the back corner, watching from the ESPN set.
Although he has been in the role for seven months, this was the first occasion he would be intensely questioned by media members on a grand stage, aside from the small gatherings of the local media.
Many wondered how he would handle the national media and the tough questions after replacing a legendary coach who took over press conferences for 17 years.
DeBoer stood in front of the media for over 20 minutes, and it felt like he had been there for years, not months. He showed extreme poise after being asked if he was hesitant to take the Alabama coaching job, knowing that he would be replacing a legendary coach.
"For me personally, it was just more about just understanding that coaching football is coaching football to some aspect, and you've got to try to simplify it down, as difficult and as complicated as you can make it," DeBoer responded. "I've done this for enough years and seen what good culture looks like and maybe even what a culture that needs to improve on looks like, and it's been just an awesome blessing to be a part of this program, to continue to have that expectation on us."
"The alternative is to be at places where there aren't expectations," he continued. "At some point, there's been places where maybe a little bit of that has happened throughout my career, and this is a great place to be. I'm very blessed, very honored, and certainly acknowledge what you said, but we're just going to focus on this team and being the best we can be and continue to build on the great tradition of Alabama football."
Clearly understanding the high expectations of not just coaching at the University of Alabama but replacing a seven-time national championship-winning coach, DeBoer is taking the job head-on while some might have run from following a legendary coach.
When DeBoer took over the Alabama job, some things would look similar, but ultimately, he needed to bring his own culture and way of thinking to the Alabama program. A couple of noticeable changes players have noticed is practicing in the mornings instead of afternoons to avoid the heat and music being played at practice.
While DeBoer does some things differently than Saban, they do share some similarities, like demanding discipline and pushing the players to be the best players they can be.
“I mean, every coach is different, DeBoer said. “We all have different personalities. We all have our styles, especially when you've been doing it for a while in this profession you kind of have the things that you really like to do and favor.”
“But in the end, the most important things, I think a lot of those are probably pretty similar more than they're different. Pouring into the guys and helping them and pushing them to be at their best, holding them accountable and expecting a high level of discipline while also trying to build a brotherhood and a family that exists through great team chemistry to be great on the football field when it matters most," he added.
DeBoer will coach his first game for the Crimson Tide on August 31 at 6 p.m. at home against Western Kentucky.
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