DeBoer on championship expectations: ‘That’s what you come here for’

Kalen DeBoer knows what job he took. Historically, Alabama football’s head coach either wins national championships or gets fired, without much middle ground.

The Tide’s new head coach took over for Nick Saban in January. He’s already through his first spring practices with UA, and on Thursday, he was asked on The Next Round Live internet show whether a national championship is a fair expectation for the team in his first season.

DeBoer acknowledged the expectation.

“In all honesty, that’s what you come here for,” DeBoer said. “Right? You come here and there’s gonna come a point in time where there’s a lot of pressure going into a week, or going even into a moment in the game. And the thing I’m always gonna remind the guys of is, this is why you came here. And that’s why I came here too, is to be a part of that, having those expectations, and that’s what it’s been and that’s what it needs to be.”

Last season, DeBoer took Washington all the way to the national championship game, where the Huskies fell to Michigan. Alabama also lost to the Wolverines, in the College Football Playoff’s Rose Bowl semifinal.

Starting in 2024, it will be a bit easier to make the CFP, which is expanding to 12 teams. The expansion means teams could lose more than once and still make the field.

That gives Alabama more leeway. However, DeBoer said he’s not thinking that way as the season approaches.

“You gotta keep the pedal down and you gotta make it about getting better every single game and focusing on that moment,” DeBoer said. “And yeah, I get what you’re saying, there is a little bit of that, but if you’re really trying to reach the top, you gotta find the best path to get there.”

Alabama opens the 2024 season on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.