New Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer Does Not Know 'Grits And Sweet Tea,' But He Gets Crimson Tide Football And Nick Saban

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - New Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer may not have any ties to the South or the Southeastern Conference. But he has heard about Crimson Tide football.

"When it comes to history and tradition of college football, it's second to none here," DeBoer said Saturday afternoon at a press conference inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

"This is maybe the only place that I would have left Washington to come coach at," DeBoer said. "This place is special."

Alabama Fans Give New Coach A Hero's Welcome

DeBoer, 49, noticed that immediately Friday night when he arrived at the Tuscaloosa Airport after 8 p.m. Former coach - for three days - Nick Saban noticed the same thing when fans mobbed him at the same airport on January 3, 2007, upon his arrival.

New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer speaks to reporters after his introductory press conference on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. (Photo By Glenn Guilbeau of OutKick).

“The plane landed, and all those people were out there at the airport when Regina (Byrne's wife) and I showed up to greet them,” Byrne said. “And then we come down and everybody’s lining the sidewalks there. And we go across the river and go through downtown, and people are lined up there. And you go through The Strip, and everybody’s going crazy. You know the tagline for the SEC? 'This means more.' And until you're here, you really don’t completely grasp that."

DeBoer is catching on.

"The culture is contagious," he said. "You can tell through the TV from how hard they play and how much they want to win."

Those fans also like to win and have grown used to it under Saban over the last 17 seasons with six national championships and nine SEC championships. He announced his retirement on Wednesday after reaching the College Football Playoff for the eighth time in 10 years.

Kalen DeBoer Speaks With Former Alabama Coach Nick Saban

"Winning SEC championships and national championships, I can't wait to carry that on," DeBoer said. "I want to continue what he (Saban) has built it up to be. Thank you Nick Saban, for all that you've done."

Saban attended the press conference and met DeBoer for the first time Saturday after speaking to him on the phone Friday.

"I bended his ear," DeBoer said. "He's the best in the business to ever do it. He will have 100 percent access to everything. I would be a fool not to do that. All I ask is that every day he tells me at least one thing that we need to get better at."

Byrne had an idea about that on DeBoer's first day since the Milbank, South Dakota, native and former coach at Sioux Falls and Fresno State has no ties to the South or to the SEC.

"I said, 'You need someone who knows what sweet tea and grits are,'" Byrne said. He said the same thing to Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen when Byrne was Mississippi State's athletic director and hired Pennsylvania native Mullen as head coach before the 2009 season.

DeBoer likely needs a taste of the South on his first coaching staff at Alabama, and quick.

Alabama Loses Possible Defensive Coordinator To Georgia

On Saturday morning, news broke that Alabama lost defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson to a co-defensive coordinator post at Georgia. Robinson is a key loss. Not only is he a valuable recruiter, he also is the reason behind Alabama's defense drastically improving after the 34-24 loss to Texas on Sept. 9. Robinson started doing much more on defense after that game as defensive coordinator Kevin Steele took a step back.

Steele, 65, announced his retirement last week before Saban's announcement. It would have been a good move for DeBoer to make Robinson his defensive coordinator. He would have had to acted quickly, but apparently that is not going to happen. DeBoer had co-defensive coordinators at Washington in Chuck Morrell and William Inge.

"There'll be a touch of Washington in there," DeBoer said of his staff Saturday, possibly in an understatement. He is expected to bring most of his staff.

"But I'm certainly open to and kind of hitting on even maybe what Greg was discussing with you when I showed up here," DeBoer said as he huddled with reporters behind Byrne. "I understand there needs to be some SEC ties, some Southeast ties that can help bridge the gap of maybe my experiences here."

Or lack thereof.

New Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer laughs during his introductory press conference Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo By Glenn Guilbeau of OutKick).

Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is expected to follow DeBoer to Alabama as Washington does not plan on hiring an assistant to replace DeBoer. And Grubb was with DeBoer at Sioux Falls and Fresno State before Michigan. He turned down an offer by Saban to be Alabama's offensive coordinator last year to stay at Washington.

DeBoer comes to Alabama with a 25-3 record at Washington and 104-12 overall.

"He's a ball coach," Byrne said.

And that ability tends to work in all areas of this country.

Alabama AD Greg Byrne Liked His Candidate Right Off

"I will say this," DeBoer said. "I wasn't a West Coast guy either."

Yet, he won immediately at Fresno State and Washington, and he was Fresno State's offensive coordinator in 2017 and '18 before returning as head coach in 2020 after being Indiana's offensive coordinator.

DeBoer's and Grubb's offenses have been more explosive historically than what Alabama showed under offensive coordinator Tommy Rees this past season. Look for DeBoer to explore a possible change at quarterback from Jalen Milroe as well with personnel additions.

"We will be explosive, I promise you that," he said. "We will be aggressive. We will attack. We will be physical."

Byrne interviewed Kalen DeBoer in Seattle on Thursday.

"It was awesome," Byrne said. "I got that feeling he was the guy right away."

Kalen DeBoer Contract Details Not Released Yet

Byrne said DeBoer's contract is complete, but would not release the details for a few days.

Saban made $11.1 million in his final season in 2023 on a contract that was worth $93.6 million through 2030 when it was updated in 2022. Byrne did not say how that contract will be altered now with Saban not coaching and working in an advisory role.

New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will have the large shadow of Nick Saban over his shoulder throughout his career in Tuscaloosa. (Getty Images)

DeBoer made $4.2 million this past season at Washington. Byrne offered only this on DeBoer's deal with Alabama.

"It's not longer than 10 years," he said.