Do you think it’s different at Bama for DeBoer in terms of player attitude?

This has been the case since 2021. Not sure who you're specifically referring to, but there were far more (at the time) notable transfers after the NCG that year than now.

ETA: Might have slightly misunderstood the question (thought it was Saban to KDB comparison), but point still stands

No, not saying it’s a DeBoer thing. I’m saying because of the lack of success at Washington I’m sure his players didn’t have that attitude.

We have recruits come here just for a check.

I'd say that DeBoer's player-coach type personality is probably a better fit for what college football has become than Saban's hardass approach. Players have a lot of options now and a lot of them won't tolerate being coached the way Saban did in the early days of his tenure here. They're now professionals and will be handled as such. You can look back at the NFL before free agency and see the same shift when free agency came in. Players had options and were no longer completely controlled by the owners and coaches. The player attitudes have shifted, because they have more power and agency now.

You're already seeing a shift in the profile of how teams and programs are operated. They are forming more like a professional organization with a front office and a coaching staff that is more about player management and strategy, the player personnel aspect will be handled by the front office in guys like Courtney Morgan working in a GM capacity. There are very few CEO style coaches in the NFL and you'll likely see that go away in college as well.

Is this all a good thing? Probably not, but that's just reality.

I do think DeBoer is more of a player's coach than a disciplinarian, but I think it's more what CFB has become.

One of the things Saban disliked as an NFL HC was the diminishing returns of coaching/discipline towards players making more than the coaching staff. The power dynamic is shifting more that way now in college, they'll still get their money. Whether it's from you, or from another team.

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lack of success at Washington

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The frick?

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4 and 5 star recruits

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What? You think 4 star and 5 star recruits are the only players with egos?

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more outside distraction here

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I think that whatever outside distraction the players get here from fans and media is made up in Seattle by city life. Tuscaloosa is a sleepy little town. Seattle is a major city. Full of distractions of its own.

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at UW he had to recruit players

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We didn't get to see many of the players he recruited at UW from high school. He was only there two seasons. He was able to win with what was there, plus the guys that portaled (which is recruiting).

This new era has changed a lot of things. One thing is how well can a coach recruit guys from the portal. I don't see where anyone is head and shoulders better at that than DeBoer. Plus he's getting great high school players.

ROI doesn't always come immediately. Sometimes you have to hold a shitty position because you know what's going to happen in the future. That's DeBoer in year 1.
The fact that a season in which BAMA beat uga, lsu, and barn and won 9 games is a failure is a testament to which Saban spoiled fans.

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I suspect he meant the lack of historical success at Washington, not Coach DeBoer's success specifically.

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Oh. My apologies.

Anyone that thinks DeBoer wouldn't be having success at UW right now is crazy. He would've gone in the portal and found a qb and a couple receivers in 2024 and kept rolling.
This is why I like DeBoer. He didn't come to BAMA because he couldn't win at UW. He came to BAMA to prove he has just as big a dick as any of the guys in the conference. Contrast that with Lanning who stayed out west because he has an innie not an outie.

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Tuscaloosa is a sleepy little town. Seattle is a major city.

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There’s stuff going on 50 or 60 miles outside Seattle proper that make Tuscaloosa look like Dogpatch. I know, I have been there many times.

I am hoping for 10-2 years (at best) and several playoff years, but I am expecting some 8-4 years mixed in there as well.

You're going to replace better part of 35-40 players each year with freshmen and portal replacements.


Freshmen will be needed as your backups in so many spots.

I lived and worked in Yakima. But only stayed there to sleep between shifts. I had a block schedule and had 8 days off (6 on 8 off) in a row regularly. It's beautiful country.

I lived on the Oregon coast, too. There was a sushi place there where the chef spearfished on Sundays.
The tuna rolls on Tuesdays were splendid.

I'll put the scenary of the cascades right up there with any in the world. The view driving across the Astoria-Megler bridge is insane.