米兰体育

Skip to content
NOWCAST 米兰体育 13 10p Newscast
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

Kalen DeBoer says he doesn't get jitters; Alabama coordinators praise his steadiness

Kalen DeBoer says he doesn't get jitters; Alabama coordinators praise his steadiness
GAME DAY HERE IN TUSCALOOSA FOR THE ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. THAT MEANS THE NEW HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, KALEN DEBOER, MAKES HIS DEBUT AT BRYANT-DENNY STADIUM, TUSCALOOSA. THE HOME TODAY, THOUGH, TO THE FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE OF GAME WEEK. CAITLIN DEBOER IS MAKING HIS HEAD COACHING DEBUT AT ALABAMA, A BIG DEAL FOR THE FANS HERE IN THIS STATE. ONE THING, THOUGH, THAT REMAINS THE SAME WITH THEIR NEW HEAD COACH, NO MATTER WHAT THE PRESSURE IS, HE SEEMS TO BE COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ALWAYS IMPRESSED ME ABOUT CAITLIN IS WHETHER YOU鈥橰E WHETHER YOU鈥橰E GAME PLANNING OR YOU鈥橰E HANGING OUT ON A ON A BACK PORCH IN A POOL, RIGHT? OR YOU鈥橰E, YOU KNOW, IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, IN THE MIDDLE OF A BIG GAME, HE鈥橲 THE SAME GUY. SO IS THERE JITTERS? WILL DEBOER GO INTO HIS DEBUT WITH NERVES TAKEN OVER FOR NICK SABAN AFTER 17 SEASONS ON THE CAPSTONE? YOU KNOW, I DON鈥橳 KNOW IF YOU GET LIKE JITTERS, BUT I THINK IT鈥橲 GOOD TO HAVE BUTTERFLIES, RIGHT? IT鈥橲 GOOD TO HAVE LIKE AN EXCITEMENT. YOU KNOW JUST EXCITED FOR THE WEEK. AND YOU KNOW WE TALKED TO OUR GUYS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT鈥橲 NERVOUSNESS OR ANXIETY, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW BUTTERFLIES. THAT鈥橲 NOT THAT鈥橲 NOT A BAD THING BECAUSE IT MEANS IT鈥橲 REALLY IMPORTANT HERE IN TUSCALOOSA. NOT THE ONLY GAME WE鈥橰E GOING TO SEND IT OVER TO JULIEN MITCHELL ON THE PLAINS WITH MORE ON THE AUBURN TIGERS ALL OFF SEASON, HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE HAS USED THE WORDS COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT WHEN TALKING ABOUT HOW HE FEELS ABOUT THIS TEAM AND THIS SEASON. AND WHILE TODAY HE SAYS IT鈥橲 STILL UNCLEAR WHO EXACTLY THIS TEAM IS AHEAD OF ITS FIRST GAME, HE REMAINS HOPEFUL IN THIS YEAR鈥橲 TIGERS FREE, SAYING THE TEAM IS BETTER IN A LOT OF SPOTS BUT HAVE TO PROVE IT ON SATURDAYS. RIGHT NOW IT鈥橲 THE CULTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND SELFLESSNESS THAT STANDS OUT. I SENSE FROM THIS TEAM RIGHT NOW IS THAT, AND THE ONLY WAY THAT EVER HAPPENS IS, IS FOR IT TO BE EMPOWERED BY THE PLAYERS TO LEAD THAT WAY. I CAN STAND UP AND SAY IT TILL I鈥橫 BLUE IN THE FACE, BUT IF IT BECOMES UNCOMFORTABLE FOR YOU TO BE OPPOSED TO THAT, THAT CULTURE AND THAT CHEMISTRY, IF IT BECOMES UNPOPULAR IN THE LOCKER ROOM, THEN YOU鈥橰E ON TO SOMETHING AND THAT鈥橲 THE REASON THAT I AM HOPEFUL A PLAYER FREEZE FEELS CONFIDENT IN PAYTON THORNE, HE SAID IT ALL OFFSEASON. HE IS THE GUY. HE鈥橲 NUMBER ONE ON THE DEPTH CHART GOING INTO SATURDAY AND STILL HAS FREEZE鈥橲 FULL SUPPORT. I WOULDN鈥橳 BE GOING WITH HIM IF I WASN鈥橳 CONFIDENT IN HIM AND I鈥橵E ALWAYS BELIEVED IN HIM AND BELIEVE IN IN HIM EVEN MORE TODAY THAN THAN I DID IN JANUARY BECAUSE OF WHAT I鈥橵E SEEN AND WHAT I WITNESSED AND WHAT I HEAR IN THE MEETING ROOM AND THE FILM ROOM WHEN I鈥橫 WITH HIM AND I THINK HE鈥橲 I THINK HE鈥橲 EXCITED TO TO PROVE THAT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ALSO. NOW IT鈥橲 TIME TO SEE HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER ON THE FIELD. GAME ONE AGAINST ALABAMA A&M AT JORDAN-HARE STADIUM ON SATURDAY, 6:30 P.M. KICKOF
Advertisement
Kalen DeBoer says he doesn't get jitters; Alabama coordinators praise his steadiness
Video above: Kalen DeBoer and Hugh Freeze prepare for their season openersIt's the first pregame news conference for head coach Kalen DeBoer as he starts a new era of Alabama football.He and his coordinators took the podium Monday morning ahead of Saturday's 6 p.m. CST game against Western Kentucky.>> FOLLOW YOUR TEAMS: Sports coverage from 米兰体育 13DeBoer ahead of first gameDeBoer said he doesn't get first game jitters, but he gets butterflies. He talked to his team about being nervous or anxious and stated it's good to be a little nervous, because it means you care. But, he said, it comes down to preparation.The preparation goes deeper than most people would expect. Things like where people are on the sidelines, how people enter the stadium and hotel expectations leading up to the game."It's all about the schedule," DeBoer said about his pre-game rituals.It can change based on the time of the game, but things like chapel, eating and getting ready all have a timeframe."Listen to DeBoer below.Coordinators on DeBoerThe ability to hear from the coordinators isn't something most fans are used to.Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said there has been a lot of growth in the locker room. The players all seem to genuinely care about each other and call each other up to greatness."His attention to detail, his intensity, his focus is steady all the time," Sheridan said of DeBoer. He said it shows he is a great leader, because he doesn't change ahead of game day. He is steady. Listen to the coordinators below.Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack also noted the level of confidence and humility that DeBoer brings to the table. "That is a super power; the way he is able to keep the main the main thing amidst the noise," Wommack said.Wommack is also excited about the freshman class, which he said really impresses him."We always want to be the team that when you turn on the tape, we are playing a swarm defense," Wommack said.He continued, "That needs to show up on Saturday." BackgroundSo far, DeBoer has built a 2025 recruiting class rated No. 2 nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.His biggest coups have come outside the state, including landing Texas quarterback Keelon Russell. Rival Auburn, meanwhile, has pulled in pledges from eight of the state鈥檚 top-10 2025 recruits. While DeBoer's predecessor, Nick Saban, is known to be larger-than-life, DeBoer is quieter, yet confident.The question comes so frequently, it would have undoubtedly frustrated Saban: What鈥檚 it like to be the man who replaces The Man?Every single time, DeBoer takes it in stride like it鈥檚 the first time he鈥檚 heard it.鈥淚 totally get it. I understand there鈥檚 only one Coach Saban,鈥� DeBoer said at SEC media days in July. 鈥淭here will only ever be one Coach Saban. This program is special, and I guess I just take it as a great honor to be the one that gets to do everything we can to carry on the tradition.鈥� >> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube This article contains information from The Associated Press.

Video above: Kalen DeBoer and Hugh Freeze prepare for their season openers

It's the first pregame news conference for head coach Kalen DeBoer as he starts a new era of Alabama football.

Advertisement

He and his coordinators took the podium Monday morning ahead of Saturday's 6 p.m. CST game against Western Kentucky.

>> FOLLOW YOUR TEAMS: Sports coverage from 米兰体育 13

DeBoer ahead of first game

DeBoer said he doesn't get first game jitters, but he gets butterflies. He talked to his team about being nervous or anxious and stated it's good to be a little nervous, because it means you care. But, he said, it comes down to preparation.

The preparation goes deeper than most people would expect. Things like where people are on the sidelines, how people enter the stadium and hotel expectations leading up to the game.

"It's all about the schedule," DeBoer said about his pre-game rituals.

It can change based on the time of the game, but things like chapel, eating and getting ready all have a timeframe."

Listen to DeBoer below.

Coordinators on DeBoer

The ability to hear from the coordinators isn't something most fans are used to.

Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said there has been a lot of growth in the locker room. The players all seem to genuinely care about each other and call each other up to greatness.

"His attention to detail, his intensity, his focus is steady all the time," Sheridan said of DeBoer.

He said it shows he is a great leader, because he doesn't change ahead of game day. He is steady.

Listen to the coordinators below.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack also noted the level of confidence and humility that DeBoer brings to the table.

"That is a super power; the way he is able to keep the main the main thing amidst the noise," Wommack said.

Wommack is also excited about the freshman class, which he said really impresses him.

"We always want to be the team that when you turn on the tape, we are playing a swarm defense," Wommack said.

He continued, "That needs to show up on Saturday."

Background

So far, DeBoer has built a 2025 recruiting class rated No. 2 nationally, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

His biggest coups have come outside the state, including landing Texas quarterback Keelon Russell. Rival Auburn, meanwhile, has pulled in pledges from eight of the state鈥檚 top-10 2025 recruits.

While DeBoer's predecessor, Nick Saban, is known to be larger-than-life, DeBoer is quieter, yet confident.

The question comes so frequently, it would have undoubtedly frustrated Saban: What鈥檚 it like to be the man who replaces The Man?

Every single time, DeBoer takes it in stride like it鈥檚 the first time he鈥檚 heard it.

鈥淚 totally get it. I understand there鈥檚 only one Coach Saban,鈥� DeBoer said at SEC media days in July. 鈥淭here will only ever be one Coach Saban. This program is special, and I guess I just take it as a great honor to be the one that gets to do everything we can to carry on the tradition.鈥�

>> FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: | | |

This article contains information from The Associated Press.