Kalen DeBoer will be going into his second season as the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2025. His debut season was not up to the high standards of the program, but he was still able to get a respectable 9-4 record, and narrowly missed out on a spot in the College Football Playoff.

DeBoer spoke with Keloland Sports, a local news station from South Dakota on Friday. During this interview, he was asked what the biggest lesson was for him and his players from the 2024 season.

“When you get to the college level with programs like Alabama, there is so much outside,” DeBoer said (Timestamp: 3:30). Social media, you’re not going to get your guys off it. Try to get them to understand that what other people think doesn’t matter. It is about you, it is about us.”

Compared to his native South Dakota, the majority of the college football programs in the state of Alabama are cared about by a very large population, both in the state and nationwide. The Alabama Crimson Tide is the largest of these.

This means that there is a constant spotlight on the program, from both the media and its fans, who all have an opinion on the goings on in the program. However, Kalen has learnt after his first season with the program to ignore what these people are saying and has repeated this to his players.

This pressure is unlikely to decrease in 2025, despite the team likely playing a very inexperienced quarterback in Ty Simpson.

Kalen DeBoer on his experiences with the transfer portal

Kalen DeBoer reflected on, during his interview, his experiences with the transfer portal. During the most recent opening, no players left the program. This cannot be said for the special window that opened when DeBoer came to the program in 2024.

“You go in at the middle of January, and the portal, with the way it is, it was closed for everyone else, but when you have a transition of coaches, it opens up for 30 days,” DeBoer said (Timestamp: 4:05). “So, keeping a roster at that time, especially when you have so much talent like you have at Alabama, everyone would like to pluck guys. Those 15-30 days were intense.”

While the transfer portal only opens for a set amount of time, it can open for 30 days for a team that changes its coach. Bama lost many top players in this window, players who came to the school to play under Nick Saban, but now could not.

This weakened the side, but DeBoer was able to bring in new players and rely on the experienced ones who stayed (quarterback Jalen Milroe for example) to keep them successful. Now, with a developing team, DeBoer hopes that Bama can make a return to the College Football Playoff in 2025.