Alabama fans can spend this off weekend with Nick Saban on the screen and Kalen DeBoer under the microscope.
With the Crimson Tide idle, ESPN’s Saban documentary has become the kind of thing people can loop on repeat, especially with Saban’s birthday landing Saturday. And for Alabama’s current coach, the timing could not be much tougher. The series puts the program’s past front and center while DeBoer is still trying to carve out his own identity in Tuscaloosa.
That’s the uncomfortable contrast running through the whole thing: Saban everywhere, DeBoer trying to live in the shadow.
The documentary itself lands well. It’s described as fantastic, and ESPN clearly knows how to build the drama around Saban’s life and career.
The series keeps pushing toward an emotional payoff, and Saban stays compelling all the way through. One missing piece, though, is footage from Saban’s retirement press conference.
Another issue is the lack of non-biased voices, though the reporting notes that beat writers who covered Saban were apparently unavailable.
One idea floated in the piece was a Saban documentary made entirely of beat writers - something shorter, sharper, and probably just as revealing. The imagined version includes little more than Matt Zenitz holding his hand up at a news conference, waiting to ask a question.
But the bigger point is what the documentary says about Alabama right now. It reinforces how much easier Saban’s job looked because he kept assembling the best talent in the sport.
That’s not framed as a knock on Saban. It’s presented as the reality of college football, and as part of what made his run so extraordinary.
At Alabama, only Paul Bryant is said to have recruited better.
And that’s where DeBoer gets squeezed.
Saban’s success, combined with the documentary, only sharpens the sense of how far the roster has drifted from those peak years. The comparison offered is blunt: the talent gap between then and now is like the difference between the Grand Canyon and a drainage ditch out behind the old family farm.
Even with that drop-off, DeBoer’s record is still hanging around the same neighborhood as Saban’s early mark. DeBoer is 25-10 after losses to Georgia and Tennessee. Saban was 27-8.
Still, that doesn’t make life easier for the current coach. Alabama heads into a game against LSU and Lane Kiffin that is expected to shape the playoff picture, and the pressure around DeBoer is already intense. If Alabama loses, the noise around his future figures to get louder, whether that’s fair or not.
There’s even a suggestion that DeBoer may already be viewed as a placeholder between Saban and whatever comes next. That perception may not change, but the Saban docu-series gives it fresh oxygen. On a night when the old dynasty is getting polished up for television, the new coach is left to answer the biggest questions himself.
In the end, the documentary may be asking the wrong question. The more pointed one is whether Saban should have won even more. If Alabama fans watch the series and come away thinking about all the talent that passed through Tuscaloosa, that’s probably the real takeaway.
In Other News...
Former Alabama Assistant Just Addressed Those Power Four Rumors
Charles Huff has been a familiar name in coaching circles for a while, and his current success at Memphis has naturally put him on the radar as Power Four openings start to circulate. The former Alabama assistant spent time at Marshall and Southern Miss before landing the Tigers job, and his name has recently been floated in connection with Baylor, Maryland and NC State as those programs sort through their next steps.
Huff addressed the chatter in a press conference and made it clear he has not been contacted about any of those vacancies. He also pointed out what usually happens in coaching search season, noting that movement tends to come after the year is over, which keeps the focus on the stretch run for now even as the rumor mill keeps turning. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Playoff Push Now Rests On These Overlooked Difference-Makers
With Alabama heading into a critical matchup against LSU, the stakes around the final month of the regular season are suddenly hard to miss. The Crimson Tides College Football Playoff hopes could be shaped as much by the players who have been easiest to overlook as by the stars everyone already knows, and that has put a fresh spotlight on the supporting cast around the roster.
Among the names drawing attention are the cornerbacks lined up opposite Zabien Brown, pass rusher Yhonzae Pierre, running back Daniel Hill, offensive lineman Racin Delgatty and quarterback Keelon Russell. Their production, roles and health will matter in different ways as Alabama tries to keep its season on track, and the margin for error only gets smaller from here. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads Into LSU Week With One Encouraging Trend Under DeBoer
After eight straight games, Alabama finally gets a bye week to catch its breath, and the timing could not be much better with injuries piling up and a big LSU showdown looming on the other side. Team captain Ryan Coleman-Williams is trending toward playing in the next game, which gives the Tide at least a little optimism as Kalen DeBoer and his staff try to get a battered roster closer to full strength.
The encouraging part for Alabama is what has happened coming out of bye weeks under DeBoer. The Tide have won all four of those games and done so by comfortable margins, a useful trend to lean on as they head into a matchup that should carry real College Football Playoff weight. LSU, coached by Lane Kiffin, will bring plenty of attention and pressure with it, and Alabama's ability to reset this week could matter as much as anything else in what comes next. [Read more 🡒]