Rece Davis on Alabama expectations: 'They're never going to change there'

ESPN’s Rece Davis joined The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, where he discussed the various differences surrounding Alabama football entering the 2024 campaign.

While it was a transformative offseason, with Kalen DeBoer taking over for Nick Saban, Davis recognizes the main thing is still the main thing for the Crimson Tide, and that’s making sure to win national titles, and bring glory to Tuscaloosa year-in and year-out.

“Expectations are the same. They’re never going to change there,” Davis said. “Even though they weren’t successful in achieving those.

“They didn’t change when Mike Shula was there. They didn’t change when Dennis Franchione was there. They didn’t change for the 42 seconds that Mike Price was there. That is the expectation. So that’s not going to change.”

As for the transition as a whole, Davis is hearing nothing but swell things. DeBoer is getting along well with Alabama’s stars, and the Crimson Tide are building a strong camaraderie ahead of a landmark season.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s gone along very well,” Davis added. “Obviously, Kalen’s a much different dude. … I think the Alabama players have responded well. He and Jalen Milroe have hit it off. In fact, when we were down there for basketball for College GameDay, I sat at the game with Jalen Milroe and Kalen DeBoer, and they seemed to be getting along swimmingly.

“Look, it’s going to be a transition. He’s following the greatest coach who ever lived, in terms of college football. It is not going to be without bumps in the road. But he’s a really good coach, and I think he’s been really well accepted by the guys who stayed, and a lot of the guys who stayed have kind of used that as a bit of a rallying cry, to say, ‘Hey, those guy wanted to leave, we’re staying and we’re going to see this transition through.'”

That matches up with what DeBoer himself has said. He’s not looking to reinvent the wheel, especially when it comes to the Crimson Tide’s culture.

“When it comes to our culture, we want it to be something that’s led by the players,” DeBoer said on Sirius XM College Sports Radio. “And I’ll provide the framework, I’ll provide the organization a plan, I’ll help guide them through it. But it’s got to be something that they believe in and that they make theirs because that’s where the extra ownership and investment that they’ll put in will come from. That’s when they feel like you know, they had a voice in it.”

Alas, Kalen DeBoer is seemingly building the framework for success, as Alabama looks to move on into life after Nick Saban. It’s a scary thing, but Rece Davis believes the Crimson Tide have the right leader at the helm.