Getty Image
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban was known widely for his temper when walking the sidelines in Tuscaloosa. The head coach was famed for on-field explosions when his Crimson Tide squad didn’t perform up to his standard.
No one was safe in those instances, whether that be players or coaches.
Lane Kiffin caught a few of those Nick Saban beatings as offensive coordinator, as have current and former players – though many say the berating proved beneficial in the long run.
Referees and reporters couldn’t dodge the testiness either, as he made it a point to get his teaching moments across!
“You have to not hear how he’s saying it, but you have to hear what he’s saying,” Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold said after ending up on the wrong end of what he called a lesson.
“You never know when he can chew you out, but like they say, you should be worried when he’s not saying something.”
In the end, the expletive-laced tirades were his way of showing he cared. But while many in T-town have grown accustomed to the sideline reprimands over the last two decades, it appears a new wind is blowing following the introduction of Saban’s replacement.
Kalen DeBoer is taking a profanity free approach.
While he says the energy will still be there, he claims a clean-mouthed style that differentiates greatly from what has been seen at Alabama in the past.
“There’s a fire, don’t get me wrong,” DeBoer said in an interview with The Next Round. “There’s a competitiveness that guys see. I think they see that already in the workouts. They feel that in how we meet in team meetings, and the standard that exists. It’s still the same standard, it’s just messaged a different way.”
Based on previous mic’d up sessions, his claims appear true.
DeBoer has the large shoes to fill of college football’s greatest coach. He plans to take a different approach with the Alabama team, but he’s hoping to see similar results.