Why is Kalen DeBoer So Good After Bye Weeks?

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Three of the best wins of the Kalen DeBoer era have come off bye weeks. The Crimson Tide's season rests on a fourth coming this Saturday.

"Our staff does a really good job of kind of laying out a plan for our players," DeBoer said. Obviously, we all got to be on the same page, but we're taking advantage of it, not just letting it be time off, and something where, yeah, you've got to refresh mentally, but, you know, we're in it. We're in the season. Like, this isn't even close to the end."

Alabama's 41-34 home win over Georgia in 2024 catapulted the Crimson Tide to a No. 1 ranking. The next year, the Crimson Tide walked into Athens off another bye and again defeated the Bulldogs, earning the win that would ultimately keep an eventual three-loss Alabama team in the College Football Playoff.

But the most relevant game right now was the team's 2024 meeting. With both teams sitting at 6-2 and coming off an idle week, Jalen Milroe and the Crimson Tide walked into Death Valley and decimated the Tigers, keeping the team's playoff hopes alive with a 42-13 victory.

Two years later, the situation is identical. So what is it about DeBoer's approach to bye weeks that creates such great results on the field for his teams following them?

"I've seen going way back a long time where you learn lessons and you start putting some stuff in and it all feels good because you're just trying to kind of get some get some plays on paper," DeBoer said. "Our staff is doing a really good job of being focused, making every rep that matters count as we get these bonus practices for our next opponent."

Overall, DeBoer is a perfect 8-0 off byes as a Division I head coach, with top-15 wins over Oregon State and Oregon, while at Washington, to boast as well. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was with him for those games, shares DeBoer's mentality concerning the idle weeks.

"Sometimes bye weeks can sneak up on you, and they need to be a productive part of the season," Grubb said. "It's not vacation time. Its part is to address some of the issues that you've had and try to attack them."

The staff's intentionality has been recognized and appreciated by the team's players.

"I feel like we're just ahead mentally," receiver Rico Scott said. "Going into this game, I feel like we're more prepared than any other game."

While there is no one-size-fits-all method to bye weeks, it is clear that what DeBoer has been doing is working. It's a good position to be in as he enters one of the most important games of his career.

"A bye week means different things to different people," defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. Some guys have to continue to work to elevate their games fundamentally, so that they can be in a position to help us on game day. Some guys have to rest their bodies, and obviously, there are a lot of things that you do from a self-scout standpoint, from preparation for the next opponent to trying to get ahead.

"And I thought our guys had a really good demeanor about how they approached this past week to put us in position to go face a very good SEC team on the road."

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