Alabama fans express mixed reactions on hiring of Kalen DeBoer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — Kalen DeBoer is going to be the next football coach at Alabama and as with any major change, there were some mixed emotions and reactions Friday from fans in Tuscaloosa.

Some fans seem to think DeBoer can be the right person for the job while others may not be as confident. Then there are some fans who were just excited to finally know who the next coach would be, just two days after Nick Saban announced his retirement.

DeBoer has a 104-12 record as a head coach across his time with Sioux Falls (NAIA), Fresno State and Washington. He led the Huskies to 25 wins in the last two seasons, a big reason why some fans in Tuscaloosa are excited about the reported hire. But as with any potential replacement for Saban, some fans are concerned with what impact it could have on the program's ability to recruit.

"You saw down the road with little brother Auburn, they had Bryan Harsin a couple of years ago, everyone called him potato Gus (Malzahn) was the joke around here," Alabama student Jackson Fryburger said.

He had a really good record at Boise State and didn't do too good in the South. But I'm confident in my Bama bias. We will be just fine. I think Saban had a little bit of hand in this hire and DeBoer's a much better coach than Harsin.

While Saban said he is expected to have an office at Bryant-Denny Stadium going forward, his exact role with the future of the program and his role in this hiring is unclear.

Some fans had their hopes up for some of the other names involved in the coaching search. Mike Norvell and Dan Lanning were reportedly in the mix while many fans called for Lane Kiffin or Steve Sarkisian.

I think there were other prospects that could have been better but I'm not disappointed with it," Alabama student Ross Wesharim said. "I think that he has proved himself and I think there's going to be growing pains because the SEC is different. Everyone know it's different but there's definitely hope.

Names that were often talked about during Alabama's coaching search included Lanning, who coaches at Oregon, and Sarkisian, who coaches at Texas. Washington went 5-0 against those two coaches during DeBoer's time in charge of the Huskies.

DeBoer is 49 years old, six years younger than Nick Saban was when he took over the job in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer's age is something fans hope can lead to a longer career at Alabama.

"Saban was here for (almost) 20 years and I think what Alabama relies on is consistency," student Chase Mancini said. "We always have a consistently good football program and we never want that to die down."