Nick Saban Anticipates Strong Growth from Alabama Football in 2025
Nick Saban is confident Alabama football is on the rise heading into the second season under head coach Kalen DeBoer. The legendary former Crimson Tide coach believes that after a year of adjusting to DeBoer’s system, the team is positioned for a notable step forward.
Alabama finished 9-4 in DeBoer’s debut season following Saban’s retirement, which ended a 17-year run that included six national championships. Saban noted that second-year coaching tenures often come with significant progress — something he expects from this group.
“Kalen’s doing a terrific job,” Saban said Monday at the Nick Saban Legacy Awards. “The transition last year was tough. A lot of players left when I stepped down — that was hard to watch. There were coaching and staff changes too, and players build connections with those people, so it was a major shift. But this year, I think the team has a much better understanding of what Kalen wants.”
Saban added that he still maintains a relationship with DeBoer and is regularly invited to practice — though he tries not to interfere. He praised the current staff and expressed full confidence in the program’s direction, saying, “You’ll see a big improvement from Alabama this season.”
DeBoer has shown a pattern of second-year growth in his previous coaching stops. At Fresno State, he went from 3-3 in his first year to 9-3 in his second. At Washington, he led the Huskies to an 11-2 season in Year 1 and reached the national title game in Year 2.
Though Alabama’s first season under DeBoer had its ups and downs — including a late-season upset loss to Oklahoma — it was still a strong showing. Some believe the team might have made the College Football Playoff if not for that loss.
Saban’s own start in Tuscaloosa wasn’t perfect either; he went 7-6 in his first year before going 12-2 in his second and capturing a national championship by Year 3. DeBoer may be on a similar trajectory — and even a modest improvement in 2025 could push Alabama into playoff contention. Saban certainly seems to believe they have the pieces to get there.
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