It’s a relatively safe guess that Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne didn’t inquire whether Kalen DeBoer can juggle when he interviewed the new UA football coach.
Not in the literal sense, anyway.
But it won’t take long to know how well Alabama football’s new coach can handle multiple balls in the air. Assembling a coaching staff, recruiting, and retention of current players − who have three-plus more weeks to transfer freely due to the coaching change prompted by Nick Saban’s retirement − should be front and center on his to-do list.
House-hunting? For an Alabama coach hired in January, that’s for spring.
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The juggle for DeBoer, however, isn’t so much about how many balls he can keep in the air as it is about identifying the ones that would do the most damage if dropped. And on the roster front, that’s got to start with two names: Caleb Downs and Ryan Williams.
Downs, the dynamic freshman safety who was a staple in a very good Alabama secondary last season, should be DeBoer’s highest priority when it comes to retention. Not only because of his skill on the field, but because he’d be a potential leader in the locker room for more than one year to come. DeBoer needs both players and leaders right now. Downs has what it takes for both roles; Saban saw Downs as a future anchor in the locker room as well as on the field. And because he’s two years away from being eligible to declare for the NFL draft, he’s of greater value to the program than someone who could push the NFL draft button after next season.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of other important puzzle pieces on the retention front, but several have made it known they’re not going anywhere. Quarterback Jalen Milroe and offensive guard Tyler Booker intend to stay and play for DeBoer, and several other key players have indicated the same via social media. Others key players haven’t been heard from, including DT Jaheim Oatis. Nor has Downs made his intentions known, and he’s close with former Alabama defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson, who will remain at Georgia after entertaining the possibility of returning to the Crimson Tide.
Securing Downs would be an enormous roster victory for DeBoer.
Then there’s Williams, the five-star wide receiver recruit from Saraland who understandably de-committed from Alabama following Saban’s retirement. Now, if one were to argue that a proven veteran other than Downs − say Oatis, for instance − should be a higher priority for DeBoer than any high school recruit, I get the logic. Even the most promising prep signees sometimes disappear into third-team status. Williams doesn’t come with a guarantee.
That said, he plays a position where freshmen tend to make a quick impact more often than any other position on the field. The list of freshman receivers who made a big splash at Alabama under Saban is a pretty long one. And in this case, Williams would be walking into the ideal situation for playing time: a wide receiver room in dire need of a talent infusion. Between the losses Jermaine Burton (NFL draft) and Isaiah Bond (transfer to Texas), the only receivers presumed returning with significant game experience are Kendrick Law and Kobe Prentice.
That’s a pretty daunting prospect for a new head coach whose offense fired 574 passes last year. If Williams’ play indeed matches the hype, or even approaches it, he could be Crimson Tide’s most productive receiver immediately. And given the recruiting momentum that five-star signees can generate, signing Williams − National Signing Day is Feb. 7 − would be be a flag-planting of sorts for DeBoer and his staff.
Oh yeah, the staff.
Coaches still have to be hired. Coaches who would have a hand in convincing current players to stay and in recruiting new ones, too. Those are important balls in the air for DeBoer also, but with players making decisions about their future on a moment’s notice, he can’t afford to complete a full coaching staff before turning his attention to his roster.
And when it comes to that, there aren’t two more important parts of DeBoer’s juggle than Downs and Williams.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
