Greg McElroy Predicts Kalen DeBoer And Alabama Will Win A Title
There is a stigma around being the guy that replaces the guy and in Tuscaloosa, the guy that is being replaced happens to be the best to ever do it.
Nick Saban retired from coaching after the 2023 season, which led to the Tide going out west to hire their next coach. It wasn't Oregon's Dan Lanning like many predicted, but instead, it was Washington coach Kalen DeBoer who led the Huskies to the title game this past season. DeBoer has won everywhere he's been, but he's never been at a program with such high expectations.
However, even with all of the pressure and buzz, former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy thinks a title is on the way for the Tide.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer
When discussing the chances that certain coaches have of winning national titles, on Always College Football, McElroy discussed the successor to his former coach. He gave DeBoer a 75% chance of winning a title while at Alabama, citing his winning pedigree and previous success.
“I believe Kalen DeBoer will win a national championship at Alabama," said McElroy. "I don’t think it’s going to take very long. This guy, in his career, has only two losses against ranked opponents. Two – one was against Michigan and the other was when he was at Fresno State,” noted McElroy. “He was undefeated at Washington against ranked opponents up until his final game as the Washington head coach. He can do more with less and he has proven that at both Fresno, at Washington. Then previously when he was the coordinator at Indiana and some of his previous stops.”
“The guy has won national championships before. Granted it was at the NAIA level but he knows, a little bit better than most, about what it’s going to take to compete in a three or four-game playoff to ultimately win a national championship."
DeBoer takes over an Alabama roster that is packed to the brim with four and five-star talent, and if he can get the most out of quarterback Jalen Milroe the wait for a title may not be long.
