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What Kalen DeBoer said on College GameDay ahead of Alabama-Vanderbilt

1918632_10206777287683070_1367905321192383146_nby: Charlie Potter10/04/25Charlie_Potter
Kalen DeBoer
Kalen DeBoer on College GameDay (@AlabamaFTBL / X)

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer joined the College GameDay set on Saturday morning. In front of Denny Chimes on the UA campus, DeBoer previewed the Crimson Tide’s top-20 battle with Vanderbilt, which is set to kick off later tonight at 2:30 p.m. CT and air live on ABC.

Alongside Nick Saban and the rest of the crew, here is everything DeBoer said on GameDay.

DeBoer on the ideal amount of touches for Kadyn Proctor today…

“Whatever it takes. That’s what we’ll do. I’ll let Coach Grubb and the offensive staff do their thing. And that was fun getting KP that touch last week, and it was an important time of the game, too.”

DeBoer on how he changed the approach after the Florida State game…

“We really just went back to the basics and just tried to really keep it simple, not overthink it. And there’s an edge that got created. Unfortunately, a lot of it was negative energy that we channeled into the right things, and we just went back to work in our preparation day after day. And these guys want to make sure that they do it for each other, that they aren’t the one that lets down the team. It’s a close-knit group, and we’ve really taken that on, and one day at a time, we’ve gotten to this point.”

DeBoer on the growth he’s seen from Ty Simpson…

“He’s grown first as a leader, too. And just the voice he is for us right now is special, and it’s genuine, and it’s real. He’s invested so much in this program. You know Ty is a high-character guy, but from an offensive standpoint, he and, I think, just the offensive staff and Coach Grubb in particular, that play-caller-quarterback relationship, you can just really see it growing.”

DeBoer on if he’s talked about last year’s game with the team…

“I think in everything you do, you have to learn from your experiences. And obviously, the positive ones, those are easy to learn from, but you have to learn from your negative ones, as well. Our guys have done a great job taking from that and then taking from what we’ve experienced this year, too. There’s been some ups and downs, obviously. Again, I use the word channeling energy into the right things and focusing on us. That’s really where we’ve kept it.”

DeBoer on what Germie Bernard brings off the field…

“He’s just a solid guy through and through. He knows what his foundation is, who he is as a person, and he just carries that over. He’s the veteran. He came in, and I think he had to feel it out a little bit coming into a new place last year. But he’s just, day after day, been who he is. He’s obviously an amazing football player, making a ton of plays for us, but I think they really look to him as a leader, as a mentor. He’s just taken on that role as kind of, I guess, the unc.”

DeBoer on how to slow down Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia…

“They’re 5-0 for a reason and have the year going that they have because of his leadership. He just does a great job leading the charge for their program. But I think you also got to make sure you don’t overlook all the other playmakers that he has around him that he’s really trusting. They’ve just come together, and it’s going to be a great challenge for us today.”

DeBoer on what he expects from the fans, environment today…

“I feel this is a good start to the day right here. I appreciate all of you coming out, and it’s great to have you guys here.”

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