NJDuck Moderator No. 1 Share Posted January 17 Kalen DeBoer is going through a tough day in his early career as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. On Wednesday, news of several major losses struck the program. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/kalen-deboer-alabama-suffer-several-major-setbacks-wednesday Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJacksPlaidPants Moderator No. 2 Share Posted January 17 But NOW their fans want something done about the unchecked “tampering”. They didn’t seem to have a problem when it worked in their favor. 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJacksPlaidPants Moderator No. 3 Share Posted January 18 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJacksPlaidPants Moderator No. 4 Share Posted January 18 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Ducky No. 5 Share Posted January 18 Bama has wined before. Nick wanted the substitution rules to change when Chip was running his up-tempo offense with Dennis Dixon and the Ducks running all over the teams they were playin. Ask Michigan how much they liked it. lol Nick knew his big uglies couldn’t keep the pace against our quicker lineman also knowing they would run out of gas and would need oxygen to keep up. No way did he want to face that offense in the Championship game. Nick would have made sure there was a tv timeout every other play. Sadly Dennis blew up his knee and Nick had no more to say. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Funduck No. 6 Share Posted January 18 I have been quietly pondering the impact of the Portal overall on CFB. It seems to me that Alabama getting a new coach could be the start of Portal madness making the entire landscape more equal. We may see a pure Paradigm shift in the CFB landscape. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckley Palace No. 7 Share Posted January 18 This is all on purpose. Deboer needs a roster he can develop. He doesn't need those fancy stars that everyone with less coaching chops desire. He beat Oregon twice, Texas. Michigan wasn't the juggernaut roster, if they were, that game would have ended differently. Had Ohio State been in that game with all their stars, it would have been Husky hysteria right now. You just wait, Alabama will win with three stars. Three stars, and sixth year transfers are going to rule the mighty SEC. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 8 Share Posted January 18 I am told that DeBoer's biggest mistake was not immediately offering Alabama assistant coach Travaris Robinson the Defensive Coordinator's job upon landing in Tuscaloosa. Trob was immensely popular with the Tide players and noting his availability, Kirby Smart immediately snapped him up. This was a real donnybrook. After Trob accepted the Georgia job, Deboer suddenly offered the full DC position at Bama (he was only offered co-DC duties in Athens, Robinson went back to Bama, listened intently to Deboer's vision, and returned to Athens to take up residence, turning down the Bama offer. This is already having consequences in Tuscaloosa. Several of Bama's younger players, and very talented ones at that, have jumped into the portal, and some are strongly considering the Dawgs at this point. Saban's retirement is probably the major impetus for this, but Trob's association with Georgia is a strong pull for at least 2-3 portal entries to Athens. Nothing has happened yet, so we'll see how important the coaching connection proves to be. My first impression is that DeBoer is making some of the same mistakes Brian Harsin did upon moving from Boise St. To Auburn. Harsin brought his entire staff with him as has DeBoer. None of these guys have much knowledge of the SEC or in-roads with the high school coaches in the region, nor do they have much in the way of recruiting chops in the Southeast. This lack of familiarity and knowledge killed Harsin who insisted this stuff wasn't all that important. It was, and there were many around the Auburn program who wanted to "cut bait" with the man after one year. I know DeBoer is a very good football coach, but he'd better wise up lest he suffer the same fate as Harsin. And Bama partisans, if anything, may be less patient than Auburn's. Which brings me back to Trob who knows the South well and is a superstar recruiter. The list of guys he recruited to Tuscaloosa looks like it could be a group of future candidates down the road for the college football Hall of Fame. Not getting this guy to stay in town was, in my opinion, Deboer's biggest flub thus far and a real boon for Kirby Smart. The man has his work cut out for him and I wish him well. 4 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalBear95 No. 9 Share Posted January 18 One, to date DeBoer hasn’t struck me as a great recruiter. That’s going to be death at Alabama. Yes, Bama has allure but with both NIL and the 12 team playoff, I would expect a greater deal of parity among programs as it relates to recruiting top players. A lack of recruiting chops is going to be a real disadvantage Two, how did the D coordinator job decision get made? I have to imagine it was part of the interview process (or it should have been). Succession planning had to have been decided prior to a hiring decision and contract signing (if not, that’s malpractice on the AD’s part). That would mean both DeBoer and the AD consciously let this happen. So, to echo @Nevada Dawg this would seem to be Harsin 2.0. The fact neither the AD or DeBoer could see that or anticipate or at minimum appreciate the downstream effects is mind boggling (and we know that because DeBoer immediately reversed course). Something tells me DeBoer’s questionable decision making isn’t limited to end of game situations in a National Semifinal game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKED No. 10 Share Posted January 18 On 1/17/2024 at 7:37 PM, 1Funduck said: I have been quietly pondering the impact of the Portal overall on CFB. It seems to me that Alabama getting a new coach could be the start of Portal madness making the entire landscape more equal. We may see a pure Paradigm shift in the CFB landscape. It’s not just the portal. It’s the portal and NIL. The portal originally was mostly loaded with players, who either had not lived up to expectations, or were not getting the playing time they had expected. Now NIL money has gotten so attractive that players who are perfectly happy where they are, are entering the portal to shop around for more cash. The game has changed…..and something needs to be done. But what? Hell if I know. (Jon……jump in any time) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph No. 11 Share Posted January 18 The more that is discussed regarding his hire I do not see DeBoer being able to carry on at Bama anywhere close to the record that Saint Nick posted. He did an amazing job at the NAIA level. A very good job at Fresno State. And taking UW to the 2024 champ game speaks for itself. Or, does it? The 2024 UW roster was not valued as a Blue Chip Roster (BCR) coming into 2024 which, in my opinion, shows a flaw in the BCR calculations. Penix for BCR purposes continued to be ranked as a 3* recruit after his reuniting with DeBoer in 2022 and throwing for 4500+ yards. Ditto the 3 amazing wide receivers whose initial recruiting rankings did not reflect their performance since arriving at UW. This is also a failure IMO when it comes to the 2024 composite roster rankings. Transfers are re-ranked when they enter the portal but 3* recruits who play above their ranking do not have their initial ranking adjusted. Make no mistake, a BCR matters. No team won a BCS title or a 4-team playoff title without a BCR. Michigan in 2023 had a 54% BCR. My point is this: DeBoer was not working with a true 'developmental' roster at UW in 2023. He is a heck of a coach but he stepped into a situation in Seattle where there was a lot of experience and talent on the roster and he had the good fortune of having a prior relationship with Penix at Indiana. And coaching matters of course, but winning 10 games in a row by less than 10 points, the first time a CFB team had done so since Princeton in the 19th century, takes a fair measure of CFB pixie dust. In fairness, he only had two years to do so at the P4 level but DeBoer has never signed a recruit ranked in the top 200. Bama before Nick arrived had many down seasons. I have a feeling that Post Nick and with Oklahoma and Texas coming in a down season at Bama, 3 losses, could become the norm. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 12 Share Posted January 18 In fairness, DeBoer is no different from many other newly hired head coaches looking to create a vision for his team through the control he’s use to asserting, including assistant hires. However, head coaching also requires knowing when to be a vision control freak, and when not to. Being sure of what will work allows for a tight rein, but being ignorant doesn’t. Thus far, DeBoer’s error appears to have been not taking his time to properly avail himself of those who could help him void pit falls in a culture he knows little about. Knowing you’re in a whole new world is one thing; adjusting to it is another, . 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck No. 13 Share Posted January 18 His record at Washington suggests he should hire Chris Petersen for talent evaluation and recruiting. The 2023 season at UDub success was largely on the shoulders of 4th, 5th and 6th year players - though Penix was also a mature player transfer-in. Fisch is going to have to fill some big holes on the roster in Seattle, as DeBoer didn't leave much behind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckman60 No. 14 Share Posted January 18 At least DeBoer hasn't spent hours in a strip club like the last Washingtonian hired by Alabama to coach! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Ducky No. 15 Share Posted January 18 Not to change the subject but didn’t Sark have alcohol problems at both Washington and USC, documented by players and police at both schools, and he is coaching at Texas. Hmmmm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solar No. 16 Share Posted January 18 On 1/18/2024 at 3:42 PM, Just Ducky said: Not to change the subject but didn’t Sark have alcohol problems at both Washington and USC, documented by players and police at both schools, and he is coaching at Texas. Hmmmm. He DID have a problem, and to his credit turned himself around and got sober, which is why he is now capable of coaching at the level he is doing at Texas. 1 2 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 17 Share Posted January 19 Alabama? Who cares? DeBoer? Fading in my rear view mirror… Time to focus on real sleeze…the likes not seen in purple for a while…Fisch! 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 18 Share Posted January 22 I really like ex-Alabama QB Greg McElroy and his podcast Always College Football. The man lives the sport and is very knowledgeable. If you haven't ever listened, I invite you to do so, especially during the Spring when he dissects the major teams' strengths and weakness and starts making season predictions. But...I heard one of his recent podcasts today in which he did something he doesn't ordinarily do: Wear his crimson tinted glasses, I bring it up now because it is relevant to is thread. He argues, not at all convincingly from my perspective, why Kalen DeBoer was about the perfect coaching hire at Alabama. His argument centers around the fact that DeBoer has been amazingly successful everywhere. Yet he ignores, IMHO, his unfamiliarity with that region of the country and how things work there. He may pull it together and make me look foolish for posting this piece, but he's likely to take some real hits in the process. At this point, color me skeptical about this hire. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augduck No. 19 Share Posted January 22 Nevada Dawg- thanks for your great insights and sharing your perspectives. Always learn something from reading your posts especially as it relates to DL and of course Georgia. The comparison of DeBoer to Harsin might end up being a very valid one. Certainly time will tell. You very astutely point out the one flaw that might be very telling with DeBoer ,and that is his lack of recruiting chops. He's now runnin' with the big boys (as they say) and vying for time in living rooms with Kirby, Brian Kelly, Sark etc. Not saying DL isn't running with these guys but one notch DL has is he has recruited the south and has relationships. DeBoer, not so much. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Ducky No. 20 Share Posted January 22 Fisch may end up flopping around in the sound with the other little fishes that swim their trying to avoid the orcas that want to swallow him up. Arizona fans might dislike Fisch more than we disliked slick and MarinoO. Hard to believe I know. His face appears in every pub down there in the form of a dart board. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph No. 21 Share Posted January 22 Bama's loss is 'That School Up North,' Ohio State's gain. The Buckeyes' wallet is wide open. 2 5*'s from Bama to the Buckeyes in the last week. Wow! Ohio State has now moved to having the 2nd best odds to win the 2024/25 title, just behind Georgia. And notwithstanding the game in Autzen, Ohio State has a far easier schedule in 2024 than the Dawgs. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven A Moderator No. 22 Share Posted January 22 On 1/22/2024 at 8:52 AM, Just Ducky said: Arizona fans might dislike Fisch more than we disliked slick and MarinoO All they have to do is wait one season and then they will be forever thankful for being dumped just like us. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevada Dawg No. 23 Share Posted January 24 I have been following some of the gab coming out of the Alabama boards and the commentary on the Georgia board Talk'n Dawgs about astounding missteps by DeBoer in Tuscaloosa. I am floored by what I heard about 5-Star QB Julian Sayin's transfer to Ohio State. Here's the story: The word is that Sayin and his family thought it best to stay at Bama after the retirement of Sabin. After all, DeBoer had had a good run with Penix and the Sayin family thought that a good sign for Julian's development. Yet multiple sources are reporting that Sayin wasn't encouraged to stay, in fact insinuating that Julian's future may be better served elsewhere. This is the guy that won the elite 11 competition for QBs in the fall over the other 10 highest rated QBs in the 2024 class. Sayin and his family wanted to stay at Bama multiple sources have reported but that the Deboer staff suggested his talents might fit better elsewhere. The reason, so the word is that Sayin didn't fit the physical size profile that the new staff likes in its QBs. This is unbelievable if true. Sayin is bigger than Heisman winner Brice Young at Alabama and a host of other very notable college QBs in recent years. Even if I had had the new staff's bias against Sayin's "size profile," I think I'd have kept him around at least through Spring practice to check out his moxie. Instead,they practically run off one of the top recruits in the nation for what I consider a misguided reason. Having said this, I must admit that former Georgia OC Todd Monken also passed on Sayin for the 24 class before jumping to the Baltimore Ravens. Why I don't know, but I suspect he liked future commit (and eventual flip) Dylan Railoa better.TBH. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
