Kalen DeBoer’s black hoodie has become part of the Alabama football conversation, and now it’s headed into a season-opener with the kind of heat that could make any sideline outfit a test of endurance.
DeBoer said Monday in Tuscaloosa that he’s aware of what Saturday could look like when Alabama opens the 2026 season against East Carolina. Temperatures in Tuscaloosa could climb near triple digits, but the Crimson Tide coach didn’t exactly shut the door on the hoodie.
“Man, I saw that forecast,” DeBoer said. “You gotta do what you gotta do. So whatever it takes.”
The hoodie didn’t start as a statement piece, but it turned into one during DeBoer’s first season as Alabama’s head coach. By the time the Crimson Tide got rolling on a winning streak in 2025, fans had attached themselves to the look. The buzz got loud enough that another SEC coach leaned into it before a matchup with Alabama.
During an SEC teleconference before the Missouri game, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz stayed on the line and asked the question plenty of people were thinking.
“Hey Kalen,” Drinkwitz began. “Are you gonna wear the black hoodie of death on the sideline this game, with us wearing black jerseys?”
DeBoer has mostly treated the whole thing with a wink ever since, even while brushing aside the idea that clothing changes outcomes.
“I think we all know that you don’t win because of that, and you don’t lose because of that, but I get it,” he said in September of 2025.
Whether the hoodie comes out again or not, Alabama should be a heavy favorite against ECU, an American Conference team. DeBoer said the focus inside the program has been on the work that’s been done since the end of last season.
“I know it’s safe to say our guys are excited and ready,” DeBoer said Monday. “It’s been a really good offseason, seeing these guys work the way they’ve worked.
Seeing them come together as a team. It’s time to go get someone else other than ourselves and see where we’re at.
So, just stressing the intentionality that these guys have and how they’ve gone about it, focusing on themselves and just really not caring about anything outside and externally.”
Alabama and East Carolina are set to kick off Saturday at 11:07 a.m. CT, with the game airing on ABC.
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