Kalen DeBoer didn’t seem to mindSmiling as raindrops ricocheted off his face, DeBoer strode confidently and nodded as he passed the bronze statue of his predecessor, the legendary Nick Saban, while leading the Alabama football team — his Alabama football team — down the Walk of Champions and into Bryant-Denny Stadium.
It was a day that was both surreal and historic, culminating with win No. 1 of the DeBoer era, a 63-0 demolition of Western Kentucky that saw the Crimson Tide gain 600 yards on offense and hold the Hilltoppers to 145 yards.
The players said there were smiles galore in the Crimson Tide locker room afterward, and with good reason. It had been a dizzying transition for everybody since Saban retired.
But on Saturday night, DeBoer was the toast of the locker room. He said a few words to his team and sent the players on their way. But not before quarterback and team captain Jalen Milroe got everybody’s attention and awarded the game ball to the Tide’s new coach.
“He might be new to everybody else, but not to us. He’s our coach, and this was just the start,” said linebacker Deontae Lawson, another team captain. “We’re 1-0, and that’s what he’s been saying ever since he got here, to go 1-0 in everything we do.”
Fifteen years ago, DeBoer was in his final season as head coach at NAIA Sioux Falls. Ten years ago, he was in his first season as offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan, and five years ago, he was in his only season as offensive coordinator at Indiana.
ESPN had inside access to DeBoer’s first game week in Tuscaloosa. Here’s a look behind the curtain at the dawning of a new era in Crimson Tide football.
Even with Saturday night’s resounding win before a sellout crowd, one of the loudest cheers of the week came from inside the Alabama indoor practice facility Friday morning as the Tide went through their final walk-through before the season opener.
As he gathered the team together, DeBoer stood beside 10-year-old Suzannah Earnest and introduced her to the team. She was about to score the first touchdown of the DeBoer era, part of the “Tide Teammates” program DeBoer brought with him from Washington.
“It’s our way of lifting up a kid that maybe needs to be lifted up, doing our part to help them as they’re going through cancer or anything else they may be fighting,” DeBoer said. “I think we get more out of it than the kids. It’s a reminder that it’s a privilege to play this game.”
Suzannah was diagnosed in 2022 with Friedreich’s ataxia, a progressive genetic condition. There are only 5,000 known cases in the United States, and most people with FA need a wheelchair within 10 to 15 years of diagnosis. She’s also dealing with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which impacts her heart.
But she was ready to go Friday when her favorite Alabama player, Milroe, broke the huddle and handed the ball off to her. It was supposed to be a running play, but Suzannah called an audible and threw a two-handed pass. She eventually got the ball back and was escorted into the end zone by her Crimson Tide teammates for the day.
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