Kalen DeBoer: 'I told the guys to not get cigar ashes on my black hoodie'

Sure, Kalen DeBoer might be one of the best head coaches in college football at the moment. But a lot of credit around Tuscaloosa is being given to his gameday attire, headlined by a black hoodie. Even Missouri‘s Eli Drinkwitz wanted to know about it heading into last week’s game.

So when Alabama took down Tennessee on Saturday night and began to light up cigars, DeBoer made something clear. He does not want to get any trace of those cigars on the hoodie. Getting the smell out is quite difficult. Or maybe even worse, they might ruin it with some ashes.

“We’re gonna ride the momentum and I told the guys to not get any [cigar] ashes on it,” DeBoer said via Hunter De Siver on X.

DeBoer wore a crimson polo during the season opener vs. Florida State, a game Alabama lost. A lot more than just clothing was being discussed in Tuscaloosa. But ever since then, DeBoer has rocked the black hoodie and positive results have followed. Alabama is now 6-1 and winners of four straight against ranked opponents, becoming the first team in SEC history to do so without any open dates.

If successful in not tampering with the hoodie, we will see it again on Oct. 25 in Columbia, SC. Alabama heads on the road for a rare unranked opponent in the South Carolina Gamecocks. While Shane Beamer‘s club might be in a bit of a skid, they are looking for revenge after last year’s loss.

As the calendar continues to get further into October, DeBoer is likely more comfortable in the hoodies. Temperatures will drop compared to some hot outings in September. The lore around the sweatshirt will continue to grow as long as the wins keep piling up.

Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy call out people still questioning Kalen DeBoer

A lot of doubters have been silenced in recent weeks by DeBoer. If there are still any out there, ESPN’s Sean McDonough called them out at the end of the Alabama-Tennessee broadcast.

“There are many in this part of the world that doesn’t want him as their head coach,” McDonough said. “Hopefully, that’s died down.”

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy echoed the sentiment. He praised DeBoer for finding a way to turn this season around.

“I think that is a very silent minority at this point,” McElroy said. “Because he’s doing a fantastic job. He’s really allowed this team to take on a different edge than what we saw.”