Nick Saban praises Kalen DeBoer, offers keys to Alabama-Vanderbilt game

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said he speaks to current Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer “on occasion.” One of those was after UA’s season-opening loss to Florida State.

The Tide has since bounced back to win three straight games, including an impressive 24-21 road victory at Georgia last week. In his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban offered high praise for DeBoer and his ability to turn things around since Week 1.

“I think Kalen’s done a fantastic job of taking an expectation that everybody had at Florida State and the disappointment of that and getting the team psychologically turned around,” Saban said.

“I thought they played with a lot of anxiety at Florida State. When the game got 7-7, it seemed like the energy level changed based on… everything everybody talks about around here is winning. Winning, winning, winning. And sometimes that can affect the players to focus on, ‘What do I need to do to win?’ And they’re so worried about the outcome, they create a bunch of anxiety because of the expectations. 

“So, you’ve got to figure out a different way for the players to approach the competition, you know, like simple things, like play one play at a time. Don’t focus on the scoreboard. Focus on the next play. Don’t worry about the crowd. They’re not going to make any plays in the game. Things like that, that players can focus on to maintain the respect of what it takes to win. And I think Kalen has done a fantastic job of that, and you see the different level of tenacity and the way the players have competed in the last three games.

“Now, the next question is, is they had a big win. How are they going to respond to the success of having a big win?”

"I think Kalen DeBoer has done a fantastic job at getting this team turned around after that Florida State game..

You see the different level of tenacity that these players are playing with now" ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/O29i6D5oQv

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 3, 2025

McAfee, who filmed Friday’s show from the tunnel leading to the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, immediately brought up one of Saban’s favorite phrases, rat poison, as the coach finished his answer. He joked that Saban should “say they’re good right now” on the eve of Alabama’s home game against Vanderbilt, which enters the matchup with an unbeaten record.

“They are good,” Saban said of the Crimson Tide. “But Vanderbilt’s good, too.”

The Commodores upset Alabama last year in Nashville, 40-35, and “is a lot better … team this year than what they had last year,” according to Saban. The former Crimson Tide head coach shared what he believes will be important for Alabama to claim the Week 6 victory.

“I think it’s gonna be really important in this game that we control the tempo of the game,” Saban said. “We need to keep the ball on offense, run it a little better, because the one thing Vandy’s defense is gonna be able to do is they get you in third down, now. They got really good pressure packages. They’re bringing people from everywhere.

“So, Ty (Simpson)’s gonna have to handle that. But if we can run the ball, if Alabama can run the ball, and have more balance on offense. Because even at Georgia, we didn’t run the ball that great. We just converted third downs. 13-for-19, 8-for-8 to start the game. That was the difference in the game, whether it was 3rd and 8, 3rd and 11, it didn’t matter. We converted third downs.

“I don’t think you want to, sort of, make that your M.O. as a team. I think you want to have balance, because it’s gonna be tough to contain Vanderbilt the whole time. So, keep the ball away from (Diego Pavia).”

The Alabama-Vanderbilt game is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, at 2:30 p.m. CT (ABC).

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