It wasn't the season Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide were hoping for in the first campaign of the post-Nick Saban era.

The first-year hits came from unexpected places on the 2024 coaching carousel after college football grappled with a series of seismic openings late in the calendar. Nick Saban's January retirement set off dominoes that led to coaching changes at Washington,

Despite missing the College Football Playoffs in his first year as the Alabama head coach, Kalen DeBoer “actually handled (Year 1) properly from a strategic standpoint,” says college football analyst Josh Pate.

DeBoer took Washington to the championship game in his second season as head coach. Is it realistic to expect the same thing at Alabama?

When Kalen DeBoer was introduced as Alabama football’s head coach one year ago, he did not make specific proclamations about his first season.

Alabama football landed at No. 17 in the final coaches poll top 25 of the 2024 season. The Crimson Tide finished off Kalen DeBoer’s first season 9-4 after losing the ReliaQuest Bowl to Michigan. Five coaches left UA out of the top 25 entirely. DeBoer, also a voter in the poll, put his team a bit higher than the average.

The 2025 season could be the turning point for Alabama football. Head coach Kalen DeBoer's choice under center is key to determining which direction that turning point will head.The best bet is on the Crimson Tide head coach selecting Ty Simpson as the starter,