Greg McElroy says Alabama is built to win now, regardless of whether Nick Saban is around.
The ESPN analyst would probably know a few things about winning at Alabama. He won a National Championship with the Tide during the 2009 college football season. That team helped start a new standard in Tuscaloosa, ushering in a new era in college football. After that season, Saban and the Tide went on to win in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020.
Now Kalen DeBoer will take the reins at Alabama. DeBoer replaces the legendary Saban, who retired after the conclusion of the 2023 college football season. The former Washington coach led the Huskies to their best season since 1991, finishing as the National Runner-Up to Michigan in the College Football Playoff. McElroy believes that DeBoer is set up for success immediately, and said as much on Get Up on ESPN.
“Yes they can Greeny,” McElroy said on the show via On3. “And while Coach Saban, he’s amazing, and I think he’s the greatest program builder in the history of the sport. But all signs because of the way he’s built this program having pointed to them still being successful with him not on the sideline.”
Alabama continues to recruit at an elite level and in 2024, they aren’t short on talent either. So McElroy is right that DeBoer and the Crimson Tide are set up for success immediately even without the legendary coach patrolling the sideline.
[On3]
