On one of the sidelines Saturday in Tuscaloosa will be Kalen DeBoer, trying to lead Alabama to success PS — Post Saban.
On the other side will be Kirby Smart, the former Tide assistant who modeled everything he does at Georgia after his old boss, and is essentially Saban 2.0.
DeBoer, 49, arrived from Washington last January with a new style and an attempt to duplicate old success: Saban won six national titles at Alabama and made the Crimson Tide the preeminent program in the nation by which all others were measured.
Replacing a legend is always a daunting task, with huge expectations and a lot of pressure. The old man seems to be getting closer to being infallible with each passing week. Maintaining momentum can be tricky. Any deviation from how it used to be done can raise concerns. Any wavering from perfection can be taken as a flashing warning light.
For DeBoer, there’s an added reality: the presence of Smart, 48, who is not only Saban’s most loyal disciple but is also having Saban-esque success against Alabama. Georgia is the one everyone is chasing these days, winning 49 of its last 51 games, including two national titles.
Their only two losses during that stretch? To Saban’s Tide.
So No. 2 Georgia’s visit to No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night isn’t just DeBoer’s first big conference test to prove the program will be OK being a little different, it’ll be against a towering opponent that relies on the familiar.
“Welcome to the SEC, right?” DeBoer said Monday.
In theory, DeBoer is ready for anything, whether it’s the short-term spotlight or the shadow of not just Saban but Bear Bryant, Gene Stallings and all of Alabama’s greatness. Big games are his thing.
During nine seasons as head coach, he led Washington to the brink of a national title and a Pac-12 championship. He led Fresno State to a bowl game after cutting his teeth at the NAIA level, where he led the University of Sioux Falls to three national championships.
His style is different from Saban’s. His mannerisms are different. His philosophies are different. What matters, though, are the results. Change can be good, even necessary, for blue-blooded programs that too often cling to traditions and coaching systems.
Combine DeBoer’s track record of unbridled success with Alabama’s vast resources, and the likelihood of continued excellence remains high. That’s why it was a smart hire.
That doesn’t mean Smart isn’t smart, too. He spent nine seasons as an assistant under Saban and, had the timing been different, would have been the obvious heir in Tuscaloosa.
Instead, Smart left in 2016 to finally try to maximize the potential of resource-rich Georgia.
He runs the Bulldogs like Saban ran the Tide. Recruiting. Competition. Style. Even some of the terminology. Smart is his own man, but it’s clear in almost everything he does which man influenced him most.
It’s a twist in the stakes.
“Every game is a first,” DeBoer said of this season for him. “First road trip. First game at Bryant-Denny. First conference game.”
The first is not the last, of course. Saturday is just one game. Alabama could lose and still win the SEC, make the playoffs, win the national championship. Georgia could dominate and DeBoer could end up with a statue on the Walk of Champions.
Saban, for all his dominance, was not perfect. In his first season, he lost six games, one to Louisiana-Monroe.
Still, that kind of perspective and patience will be tested Saturday if the Tide stumble. Four games into the tenure, this is by no means a must-win game for Kalen DeBoer.
Although I’m sure it would be nice.
That is the unique pressure.
“For us, it’s about focusing and simplifying everything down to what we can control,” DeBoer said. “And that means making sure our energy, attitude and effort are on point. We’re going to continue to fight through the battle on Saturday, but our preparation (has to be) on point.”
It’s the kind of thing Saban would say. From afar, everything looks the same in Tuscaloosa, of course. The Tide are 3-0, ESPN GameDay will be broadcast under the direction of Denny Chimes, hotels and Airbnbs are nearly sold out despite being overpriced. The roster is packed and fans are dreaming of championships.
Bring on the Dawgs!
DeBoer even seemed to be embracing a motivational edge that Saban surely would have enjoyed, and Smart certainly would not. The Tide (+1.5) are regular-season underdogs for the first time since a visit to Georgia in 2015 and home underdogs for the first time since the game against LSU in 2007.
Reverse rat poison.
“That’s what we can do, let the naysayers know what we’re capable of,” DeBoer said. “It’s a tribute to what people see in Georgia and the high level of their football team and, to their credit, that’s exactly what they are. For us, it’s about doing what we can do.”
Those are the risks for Kalen DeBoer, a top-five player who opened the SEC post-legend, post-Saban and with Saban 2.0 staring him down.