Kalen DeBoer breaks down biggest challenge at Alabama so far

Alabama is going through a major transition this year following the shocking and sudden retirement of long-time coach Nick Saban. In steps former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer to take the reins.

While making an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show on Monday afternoon, DeBoer revealed his greatest challenge so far.

“I think some of the biggest challenges were early on, the first couple weeks,” DeBoer said. “Just with the way the portal was open for us and really not for anyone else. Making sure we keep our roster intact in the midst of such a big transition.”

The Crimson Tide did a relatively good job of that, though there were still some that got away. Caleb Downs departing for Ohio State, for example, stung quite a bit.

But Alabama also shored up its ranks with a handful of transfers in, giving DeBoer a solid nucleus to work with in his first season. Now that the dust has settled he feels a bit more at home.

“Once we weathered that storm I really feel like it’s been pretty smooth ever since,” DeBoer said. “Things are always going to come your way, but it doesn’t matter where you’re at, that’s always going to be the case.”

Transfers should be on the backburner at this point with the NCAA transfer portal window closed. Alabama took in 14 transfers since the season ended, while it has seen 35 players either transfer out or hit the transfer portal.

So it’ll definitely be a new-look Alabama squad that DeBoer debuts next year.

But at every turn he continues to reiterate how comfortable he feels with where he’s at and where his program is headed. He harped on building relationships as the foundational piece.

“I think the relationships are really important. Once they know that I want what they want, that I want them to be the best they can be, that I want our team to be great, you know, we’re all fighting the same fight,” DeBoer said. “Every single minute just trying to push them to be their best, and I think they appreciate being held accountable, they appreciate the love that comes along with the relationships that we’re building.”