Everything Kalen DeBoer Said On The Game

Kalen DeBoer has been the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide for roughly a little more than a month, and it appears that Coach DeBoer has worked his tail off during that month. DeBoer had to jump in and immediately work to keep Alabama's roster intact, while also jumping in with recruiting and landing wide receiver Ryan Williams, and has had more roster turnover than virtually any head coach in the first month on a job.

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And yet, DeBoer has not missed a step, while also making media appearances on Pat McAfee, Jox FM, and now, Tide 100.9 in Tuscaloosa.

Coach DeBoer spent some time with Ryan Fowler on Tuesday. Here is everything that was said by the new head football coach at the University of Alabama:

Can you describe the last 40 days and what it's been like to take over as the head coach of the University of Alabama?

"It's been awesome. It really has. Every day is its own day, you just enjoy the moment and attack it. Super proud of our players and our staff. They've had the same mindset and getting a chance to be with them in the moment and trying to do what we say, 'go 1-0 every day.' They've done that once again here. It's been awesome. Meeting a lot of people, sometimes a second time because I forgot their names, I apologize to those people, but yeah it's been a really cool journey so far, and it's only the beginning."

Have you taken a minute to just look in the mirror and say 'I am the head coach at the University of Alabama?

"No, not at all. I don't think that'll ever happen. You do realize that it is a really awesome responsibility and that I'm honored to be in. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity, people call them challenges but I look at them as opportunities that lie ahead, and I'm really looking forward to it. Once you're here and once you're going, it's really just full steam ahead and that's all you're focused on, just making the most of that day and continuing to put the people around you that you need to be successful and empowering them and our players in every way we can to make each day great."

Has 'Roll Tide' become second nature to you?

"We're getting there, we're getting real close. I'm not going to lie, I'm working at it. Probably 99% of the time, I'm right there. We're moving fast here every single day and it's been awesome. It's cool walking around wherever you go, especially in public, just the support you hear and a good 'Roll Tide' is music to the ears."

How would you describe your offensive philosophy?

"I would consider it very multiple. I think year in and year out it might look the same, especially if the personnel is the same, but it can be adjusted very easily to whoever our quarterback is, whatever our strengths are: receivers, tight ends, running backs. I would consider it to have a more pro-spread identity. Kind of a pro offense with the tight end being a heavy part of that. A lot of principles that are pro-minded, but there are a lot of spread concepts in there as well. Kind of a combination of that, there are a lot of moving parts, a lot of things that hopefully will really challenge eye discipline to a defense, and things that are simple to us because it's in a concept family, so we can go from week to week and make it look a lot different to our opponent, which should be very difficult for them. But in the end, it's something that we are familiar with and we can dress things up and do the things that we do over and over again and execute at a high level."

How much hands-on will the defense be for you?

"I think in the first year, naturally, I just always really want to make sure the offense has the identity no matter where I've been, just heading in the right direction and the detail that we're installing, the footwork, just all those things. The concepts, the install schedule, the tools, and the weapons that we need form an installation standpoint to be able to get through a season. That's where having some guys that are very familiar with that schedule and with those things, like Nick Sheridan and JaMarcus Shephard, they understand and get that. I will say that I am really intentional about making sure, from a defensive and special teams standpoint, that I'm very present and I think this last year, you could see that we were a team at Washington that was all about the team. The offense did its thing, the defense did its thing, and we played team football. That's what it takes to win championships, and that's what we're really striving for. I'm in position meeting rooms every single day on both sides of the ball, just making sure the concepts are being taught consistently between position groups and being able to communicate with the coordinators what I'm hearing and what I'm seeing, and making sure we're all aligned as a football program. Can't deny the fact that there's an extra glance or two in the offensive film room and the offensive staff room. But you'll see me probably 50/50 more than people think when it comes to balancing between the offense and the defense, especially when it comes to practice."

With an offense as good as DeBoer's, how does that help on Saturdays when they go good vs. good in practice and the defense has a solid look at how some of the offenses they might see will look?

"That's one of the unspoken things that you're kind of hitting it on the head there. I feel extremely strongly about all those things I just mentioned about what I think our offense does and the challenges we present to a defense. Our defense sees all those things each and every day in practice. When it comes to a game, it's as simple as it's ever been when it comes to what they're really honing in on, especially when you think about spring ball and fall camp. There are so many installs happening day after day after day, it's a lot that the defense has to guard against and really defend. A lot gets thrown on their plate and they get challenged at a level they never will be when it comes to the season."

What are your expectations when you look at the season?

"Wherever you've been, whether you're a coordinator, and even going back to my days at Sioux Falls, you have that expectation of winning and winning championships. That's this program and what the expectations are here. When it really comes down to it, I'm never putting a number on wins and things like that. What we're focused on, and this doesn't sound all pretty, but we're focused on getting better tomorrow and us reaching and being our best. That's what I think we have done wherever I've been, and in the end, we don't even realize it. We just spoke with the team today, a week from now, two weeks from now, a month from now, at the end of spring ball, we're not even going to recognize who we are. We're going to have come so far because we stack one day on top of the other and it's always moving forward. The results are a matter of us being our best and continuously improving each and every day."

What does it take to play QB in your system?

"We'll adjust to whatever that quarterback skillset is. Certainly, a guy who can deliver the ball to the skill around him. There are 11 players on the football field on both sides of the ball, and I think you want to maximize each and every position. That can be done in different ways. What I hope we can be is a team that can deliver the ball to all our skill positions. I think if you look at the different skill sets we have, and obviously everyone looks at Jalen [Milroe] and sees his ability to be mobile and run the football, that's an added weapon. That also makes everyone around him better. Extra eyes are in the backfield, so there's a lot of different ways it can go. You need a guy who's poised, a guy who, when the big moments come, is confident and his teammates feel that. There are things you can do as a quarterback that are beyond the skillset in leading the football team that comes with repetition, confidence, and great preparation and being that guy that brings it every single day and every single moment."

On Ryan Williams:

"He's one of the most dynamic guys I've ever seen. Get the ball in his hands, he can do it on the short routes, and he can do it deep downfield. He's good in every way. I was attracted to him not just as a football player but as a person as well. When you talk to him, he reiterates what he hears. It's amazing to me how he processes and can articulate back to you what was all said. I just am super excited to coach him up. He's a guy who is seeking this growth mindset and going to take it all in every moment possible. He along with Coach Shep, they've already formed a pretty good tag team as far as their relationship, it's only onward and upward from here."

On Noah Carter:

"A lot of the same things; he's dynamic in different ways. I think he can play on the line of scrimmage or off the line of scrimmage in different ways in our defense. The constant pressure that he can put on a pass rush, he'll grow into his frame which I think is a great frame. You watch his film and see who he is, the way he's comfortable in space, he's just a confident football player, just like Ryan [Williams]. Always thinking about what's possible, and the work he puts in supports the goals that he has."

On QB Reese:

"Really exciting player that's going to grow into a role that, physically, has a huge, huge upside. Excited about what he's going to bring. I love him and his family, just getting to know them and them being someone that was kind of late in the process for me, just with how long I've been here. It rapidly grew into a thing where we said 'We need to get him into our football program and see what he can do from there.'"

Has Coach DeBoer thought about an A-Day format?

"I haven't yet. A lot of it is based on the roster. I'd love to keep the format that it's been; I know the fans love it. We need to make sure everything we do is strategic and building up toward us getting better and maximizing every practice. I'd love to keep the format, I know it's been a lot of fun for fans. Expecting a great A-Day crowd once again, and it should be a lot of fun for our guys. That's a ways down the road, and we have a lot of work to do before then, but it will come fast as you know."

"Roll Tide!"

Did you miss Coach DeBoer's interview with Ryan Fowler? Listen to it here!

Catch The Game with Ryan Fowler every weekday from 2-6 p.m. on Tide 100.9 FM and the Tide 100.9 app.