TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Kalen DeBoer carried a notebook with him on his first day as Alabama’s football coach. Many people, inside and outside of the building, were trying their best to find out as much as they could about DeBoer, and he had a similar objective about them.
He made it a point to get to know the entire team, and when he figured out who the team leaders were, he called a meeting. That’s when the notebook came into play.
“He sat down with all the leaders of the team and was taking notes,” quarterback Jalen Milroe said via the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast. “He was taking notes of our comments about what the standard is here, what makes up Alabama, about us as people — where we’re from, how many siblings we have, our hobbies, etc., on the same day he got here. From there, I said, ‘Man, we got someone special.’”
Several months later, DeBoer has completed his first spring practice at Alabama — the next checkmark in a year of firsts. The actual on-field component — installing the playbook, evaluating the roster, etc. — is one part of the equation, and the other component is relationship building. And the post-spring practice transfer window indicates that DeBoer and his staff did well in that aspect.
One of the leading storylines of Alabama’s offseason was the player attrition after Nick Saban’s retirement. The post-spring window was another opportunity for the players to exit after a full spring under the new staff, but Alabama had just four departures and no expected starters. The most consequential for the 2024 season was center James Brockermeyer, who was in a battle with Washington transfer Parker Brailsford but left for TCU. The other departures were defensive lineman Khurtiss Perry (Virginia Tech) and defensive backs Tony Mitchell (uncommitted) and Peyton Woodyard (Oregon).
