What Does Kalen DeBoer Do Differently than Nick Saban? Just a Minute

Alabama saw zero scholarship players enter the transfer portal this year during the spring window. Has Kalen DeBoer figured out the secret to retaining players?

Jan 28, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer visits the field during Senior Bowl practice for the American team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a daily video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral's recruiting writer Mason Woods and beat writer Joe Gaither discuss the differences between Kalen DeBoer and Nick Saban and how they may have contributed to Alabama keeping its roster intact through the spring transfer window.

This spring, Kalen DeBoer and the current Alabama staff managed to keep the entirety of the roster intact, seeing zero scholarship players enter the portal. This is something that was simply unheard of before this season, and something former head coach Nick Saban was never able to accomplish himself.

While Saban is obviously one of, if not the most, successful coaches of all time, this was an area he seemed to routinely struggle with. In the final years of his tenure at the Capstone, you could almost count on the Crimson Tide to have at least a dozen or so players test the waters of the transfer portal.

So what has DeBoer figured out?

The former Washington head coach has a certain knack for retaining players and encouraging buy-in that, while similar to Saban, is clearly unique in its own way. Whether it is his ability to connect one-on-one with players, are simply his on-field schemes, DeBoer has unlocked something Saban was unable to.

According to Bill Connelly from ESPN's SP+ rankings, which heavily takes into account returning production, Alabama sits at No. 2 in the nation heading into 2025.

See Also...

feed