'These Guys Want It': How Alabama Has Changed Since Last Season

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama football finished last season with a 9-4 record—its worst since 2007.

Legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban shocked the world when he retired on Jan. 10, 2024, and the program named Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer as his successor. But Year 1 didn't go as planned.

However, throughout this offseason, numerous players have opened up about the collective buy-in for DeBoer ahead of his second season. Every single factor of the game seems to have improved since this time last year, and the Alabama head coach discussed on Monday the changes that are making himself and the team more confident.

“I think consistency in practice, consistency with how guys handle each other maybe when there’s a moment that doesn’t go as well," DeBoer said. "It doesn’t have to be on the practice field. It could be anything.

"And then just accountability to each other. If there’s something that’s just not to the level that they know, it doesn’t mean that someone did something wrong. I’m talking about at the level, you know. Making guys who are new to the program understand what the level should be. There’s just a great investment that you see and that leads to the consistency that you talk about."

DeBoer opened up about how the investment has increased and it's been displayed on and off the field on a daily basis. He stated that "These guys want it," and that "the actions have supported the work."

"There’s maybe a practice where there’s more on their plate and school's starting and stuff where you can feel that it was different, that they needed to get out of there because they had to get to class, and that feels different because the guys are always putting in extra work on their own after practice," DeBoer said.

"But in the end, I really feel like these guys, their investment has been (at) an extremely, extremely high level. And if there’s a rep or two in practice that didn’t go their way, those individuals group together. Might miss a pass, and they are going to put in the extra work and get that pass in right after practice."

Of course, as good as a head coach's word is, he is not the one putting his body on the line every day. So, Alabama superstar wide receiver Ryan Williams spoke to ESPN's College GameDay's Rece Davis on June 5 about the team's buy-in for 2025 compared to 2024.

"We have a lot of guys who bought in, they spent a year in the system and pretty much everyone that didn't give us their best interest is not a part of the team,” Williams said. ..."[Leadership] was kind of a gray area. No one really knew what to expect going into [last] season, but this year everyone knows."

Williams explained that every player on the 2025 team is "completely on the Kalen DeBoer train." The reason why "everyone knows" what to expect this upcoming season is because DeBoer emphasizes player-led leadership.

"We're all about work and he gives us the opportunity to be more player-led and lean on each other," Williams said. "Don't get me wrong, he's an outstanding leader and head coach, but he definitely allows us to be more player-led. We have a leadership council, everyone is dialed in and it's just a bunch of focus.

"And you know what they say, you're only as strong as your weakest link, and I could say our weakest link—they're going to be in trouble because our weakest link ain't weak. So we're super excited."

Alabama aims to showcase its offseason improvement on the road against Florida State on Aug. 30 in Tallahassee. The trip to Doak Campbell Stadium marks the first time Alabama will begin a season on the road since 2020 and the first non-conference road pairing to begin a year since 2000 at UCLA.

Read More: