What Alabama's Kalen DeBoer said about Tennessee on the SEC Coaches Teleconference

What head coach Kalen DeBoer said during his weekly appearance on the SEC Coaches Teleconference on Wednesday, previewing No. 6 Alabama’s against No. 11 Tennessee on Saturday night (7:30 Eastern Time, ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa:

Opening Statement

“Yeah, just a good week of practice and excited about another great opponent with Tennessee, obviously a rivalry game. Good to be back home at Bryant-Denny Stadium. But proud of the guys and the work they continue to put in throughout the conference schedule. And we’re on to the next, so the challenge is great, but we’re preparing every week in the way we need to play to prepare to go be at our best. So I’m proud of these guys.” 

Updating the health of Alabama running back Jam Miller and wide receiver Derek Meadows

“Yeah, I expect Derek will be out. And I think Jam, probably what we’ll put would be ‘questionable’ state for the weekend when it comes to the (injury) report tonight. That’s kind of where I see it at right now.”

If there’s more volatility in college football now when it comes to firing coaches 

“Well, when you’re in the moment right now, it feels like that. Feels like it’s a little crazy. But, yeah, I don’t know if I have proof of that. I haven’t done any comparisons or nothing that I know that you guys would be doing. But I just feel bad for the coaches that I know are really good coaches, and also the players and the staffs that are in those programs, and still have half a season to work through under intense situations and just feel bad for everyone involved in those programs.” 

Where Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has grown the most since Week 1

“I think there’s a number (of areas), I don’t know if I could pick one. I think he has done a great job of taking what the defense gives him. And when you stack plays, then he’s got the ability and more opportunities to make the explosive throws. And then I just think mentally he’s really done a great job of being able to move on to the next play. He wants it to be perfect, but it’s not always going to be that way. And he’s got a confidence in himself that he can move on as well as his teammates. The last part is he’s just really stepped up as a leader. And obviously through production and him performing at the level he has in a few of those games, right after that first Week 1 game, that’s given him a lot of confidence as well as his teammates and our staff.”

What has been different about Alabama after the loss at Florida State

“Yeah, I think just unfortunately we didn’t play a very good football game that first week. And I think what you’re seeing now is what we had hoped we would be. And I was applauding these guys throughout the offseason with the work that they put in and the intensity. They continue to do that. There’s probably an added edge that was kind of put on their shoulders after Week 1. That certainly adds to everything that they’re doing. But it’s a great group. They’re fun to coach. Every single day they come out here, you know what you’re going to get. And so there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and that’s the way they see it as well. We’ve had our highs, even within games, but there’s times when we could have separated ourselves just by doing some some things better, executing better, and we fell short and made games closer than what we would have liked.”

Alabama’s quarterback room as a whole and what Ty Simpson brings to the group

“That room has continued to uphold the level of character and just energy that they have for each other, the support they have for each other. I’ve seen rooms that are great and supportive to some extent like this, but this one, it’s just really fun walking in that room. And it’s fun seeing on the sideline the way that they just challenge each other, they’re all competing, they’re all doing a great job of improving. But they’re all there to help each other be the best they can be. I mean that with all sincerity. It’s fun coaching guys that are like that. I know Coach Sheridan has a strong role in continuing to keep that vibe going in that room and keep challenging them. Coach Grubb has done an awesome job of coming in and helping as well. So they just, that all of those guys working together, the quarterbacks and the coaches, they just have, man, it has been awesome seeing them work. And they are getting better, not just Ty, but the other two, especially just go out there and they go about their business. And the development is happening on a high level.”

The Third Saturday in October Rivalry, how it compares to other rivalries now that he has experienced it

“There’ll be a few more people at this one than there was in Sioux Falls. Oh, man. Yeah, it’s just one of the greatest rivalries in the country. And it goes way back. And generations of our fans care so much about this game. We understand what it means and we just got to make sure we do our part to get the home crowd going and give them something to cheer about. And  do our part to be our best and find a way to get it done on the end.”