The new head coach of the University of Alabama’s football team is settling into his new job. Kalen DeBoer is taking over for Nick Saban, who’s retiring after seventeen seasons and six national championships. The University hired the former coach of the Washington Huskies just forty-nine hours after Saban announced his departure. DeBoer says he knows leading the Crimson Tide will be a challenge.
"I don't expect to fill Coach Saban shoes," said DeBoer. "Exactly how he, you know, did it. But I know that there's an expectation and I know it can help our program together, reach the same goals that have been set forth with championships, doing it in a way that's done with class done with integrity, as we build better men.”
Another challenge is the transfer portal. Alabama star players Roydell Williams and Isaiah Bond have reportedly left Tuscaloosa for other schools. Coach DeBoer says it’s part of the changing world of college football…
“You know, in the world today, and how easy it is to jump from one place to another, you know, this is I mean, I'm just be frank with you, this is a time when people try to take advantage of that. And, I mean, that's the competitive world we live in. And I understand that."
Winning over University of Alabama students may be an even bigger challenge. APR news has that story tomorrow on Alabama Public Radio.