2024 Alabama Spring Football Preview: New head coach. A novel method of tutoring. customary requirements.

But will the outcomes be comparable?

At RBR, we’ve debated a few times over when the Dynasty ended, whether it did, and whether it was divided into two distinct periods. Ultimately, though, the conversation always felt scholarly. We always knew that this upcoming season would essentially be the same, despite the continued greatness we were witnessing: we would finish atop the division, contend for the SEC Championship, be mentioned in the playoffs, and possibly even contend for a national championship. Mark down 10–11 regular-season victories, and set aside cash for the very possible chance of a 15-game campaign.

Above all, the steadiness was a spoiler. No We could anticipate an extraordinary level of consistency from the players and the program, regardless of the distractions that surrounded the sport, the number of assistants that remained, or the turnover of the roster. As frustrating as they were anomalies, inconsistent efforts were also. You were aware of what to expect from the Saban Murderbot.

But two months ago, that world ended.

We won’t write Saint Nick’s biography or the eulogy for Alabama football just yet; as we witnessed in the Senate this week, I don’t think his last chapter has yet to be written. However, it’s time for us to face the fact that, as a fandom and as individuals, we were incredibly spoilt and that it’s time to move on.

In January 2019, Nick Saban suffered the greatest loss of his career on that rainy Santa Clara field. Dabo was the one who dug the grave.
It most likely came to an end when Alabama won the titles in 2015 or 2017, at which point the team took a very different turn.
Under Nick Saban, Alabama had two dynasty eras: the wide-open, pass-happy years and the joyless murderball years. Most of them concluded on an academic note.
The 2013 Iron Bowl defeat and missed opportunity to complete a three-peat marked the end of the true Alabama dynasty.
That which is not dead can lie forever, and even death itself may perish through odd ages. Iä R’lyea! Ftagn Cthulhu! Iä! Iä! Turn the tide!

We can and must admit that comparing any new hires to the best college football coach ever would be unfair and dumb. Still, it’s unlikely that fan expectations have changed just because Alabama lost Coach Saban—nor should they necessarily.

This team has championship-caliber personnel and resources, and its fan base has championship expectations. And while the majority of passionate and intellectually honest Gumps will acknowledge that Alabama is no longer the program, they also cannot and should not accept the possibility that Alabama is not at least one of the teams that can contend for championships each year.

Coach Kalen DeBoer and the new coaching staff have their work cut out for them in this smallest of spaces. It’s not a not a task for the weak of heart. To follow after the greatest of all time takes not just an immense amount of daring but also a great deal of self-assurance in your own abilities.

It takes a smile and total faith in the strength of your trouser snake to approach the urinal trough as the football coach of Alabama, especially after Nick Saban.

Let’s see if he and the new employee can get it done on the table, or if they’re going to run and hide in a restroom to take a seat.