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Kalen DeBoer is set to begin his debut season at Alabama this fall, filling the shoes of legendary head coach Nick Saban. His predecessor refused to provide the Crimson Tide with any “rat poison” at SEC Media Days.
Saban made his SEC championship picks this week with the league gathering for its annual event in Dallas. Alabama was surprisingly left out of his title game prediction.
Instead, the coach-turned-commentator selected Georgia and newcomer Texas to represent the conference in its final contest.
Here’s what he had to say on Monday:
“I think Georgia and Texas [will play for the SEC Championship]. But I don’t think there’s any team right now, or any coach that you talk to – including myself for many, many years, that right now, there’s not some part of their team they’re concerned about…
“But I think Texas, if their defense comes through and they can replace some of their interior people that they lost that were high draft picks and all that, they are really good offensively… Depth at QB is probably really important for them, because Ewers has missed time the last couple years…
“I think Georgia has got a really good team. I believe in our Alabama team, too. I believe in Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary, until those get resolved, it’s hard to, sort of, jump on that bandwagon.”
-Nick Saban previewing the SEC title game
That choice was surprising for a number of different reasons.
First, he’d also been heard emphatically stating that Texas won’t run the SEC now that they’ve transitioned from the Big 12.
Saban pulling no punches.
👀 “Texas ain’t gonna run the SEC” pic.twitter.com/crlgXcmoL7
— Griffin Smith (@BurnerGSmith) July 15, 2024
Second, Saban’s championship game notably omitted the Crimson Tide.
An honest opinion or another tactical move to give Alabama motivation?
Nick Saban wouldn’t provide Kalen DeBoer with any “rat poison.”
We heard the head coach use the term throughout his career. Essentially, it refers to hype or offseason distractions that could cause a team to become complacent.
Top preseason rankings and SEC Championship Game predictions could certainly cause one’s ego to be inflated, which Saban didn’t want to do to Crimson Tide players.
Instead, he wants the team focused on a common goal as they move into the Kalen DeBoer era. Don’t listen to the outside noise!
DeBoer will likely appreciate that as he preps for his debut.
The head coach is no stranger to success, having just led the Washington Huskies to a national title appearance, but he’ll also be judged harshly after taking over for Nick Saban.
Should things go south, a narrative will follow of the end of Alabama’s dominance.
Saban doesn’t want to have a part in that storyline, so he’s playing chess, not checkers! While the head coach is no longer roaming the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, he’s still putting on a masterclass in motivation.