Season after season, the fight to return Alabama to its glory days becomes more and more difficult under Kalen DeBoer. The root cause is brain drain. Now, a Crimson Tide legend and 2015 Heisman Trophy winner stepped up to deliver a message to the locker room.
“And I know kids, if you don’t play, you can go to another program,” saidformer Alabama running back Derrick Henry. “But when we were there, we wanted to build our own legacy. We heard about those who came before us.
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“You’re going to have growing pains. Coach (Nick) Saban had them. Coach DeBoer will have his. But for you to get back to the top of that mountain and be the top dog, you have to have that mindset of wanting to do it.”
So, Henry still dreams of Alabama reaching the top. All it takes is a little loyalty from the players involved. It hurts the alumnus’ heart to see his alma mater fall apart. After all, he gave the Crimson Tide a single-season record in 2015, totaling 2,219 yards.
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Last season, the hype was real for DeBoer’s program, which started at No. 8. With that ranking, came SEC title buzz and College Football Playoff dreams. However, it took DeBoer’s team one game against Florida State to wake up from its sweet slumber. The Crimson Tide’s running game never got going, ending with just 87 yards. Taking out the bags, it still came out at a modest 112 yards, far from the Tuscaloosa standard.
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Already, the critics were ready with the report card from DeBoer and his players. The situation became even more intense when the team was caught angry for dancing in the locker room right after the loss. It raised real questions about the Crimson Tide’s once-unshakeable culture built under Saban.
The GOAT firmly believed that the NIL was “unsustainable.” The former Tide coach warned that NIL money adds a psychological layer to the game. It makes it harder for coaches to keep guys motivated and the locker room aligned, which ultimately leads to inconsistencies.
The results are already there. When the 2016 Alabama team started the season with a 14-0 record, an average victory margin of 27.9 points and dominant victories like 52-6 over LSU, the NIL era did not exist. Following Saban’s path, Henry also advised DeBoer’s players to set their priorities straight.
“If it matters to you, if it means anything to you – not just the money, the market business and all that,” the elder said. “That’s already happening in college football. But when it comes to you as a man and your integrity, what are you willing to do to get this program to where it once was?”
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Many are quick to point the finger at DeBoer, but Alabama’s struggles have more to do with declining talent.
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Kalen DeBoer struggles with talent decline in Tuscaloosa
Alabama’s 31-17 loss to Florida State ended the Crimson Tide’s 23-game winning streak to open the season. The loss marked the fourth time in 14 games under DeBoer that the Tide fell to an unranked team. Comparing this to the Saban era, it only happened four times during the former head coach’s 17-year tenure.
While these results are already alarming for DeBoer, here are some more. Player retention is one of the areas where the Crimson Tide has suffered the most in recent times. NFL Draft analyst Cody Carpenter came up with his own “Super Blue Chip Transfer Rates” for 2022-2026. The numbers are indeed concerning for DeBoer, as Alabama is the the second-most losing program of blue-chip recruits.
At the bottom of the ladder is Notre Dame Fighting Irish, whose transfer rate is 0%, showing that their blue-chip players have never felt the need to swap bases. Oklahoma stands at 50% while DeBoer’s program is at 47.6%. Crimson Tide lost wide receiver Jalen Hale, who had reached the transfer portal. He was a four-star prospect in 247Sports’ Registration 2023.
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So that’s the harsh truth Kalen DeBoer faces. Earlier, Alabama’s name and reputation were enough for them to keep the players locked up. But in today’s era, it’s about which program writes the bigger check. That’s why it’s up to the players, as Derrick Henry said, to buckle up.
