ATLANTA -- As Alabama looks to improve upon last season's 9-4 record in its second season under head coach Kalen DeBoer, those within the program are well aware of the lofty expectations but say they enter this season with a greater sense of comfort surrounding the program's future under DeBoer.
"I feel like especially last year, it is hard, man," Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson told ESPN on Wednesday at SEC media days. "You're coming from Coach Saban to coach DeBoer, everyone -- everyone -- is going to have something to say. Everyone wants to know, 'How's the new coach?' or, 'What's the difference?' or something like that. But yeah man, we were all for Coach DeBoer. I remember he walked in -- the first day he walked in -- we all sat up in our chairs ready to go. And from that day we all been on the DeBoer train, probably more now than ever."
Last year, Alabama lost four games and finished outside the Associated Press Top 10 for the first time since 2007. It was the third time in 11 seasons the Tide missed the playoff, this time finishing No. 11 in the selection committee's final ranking but getting bumped from the 12-team field to make room for three-loss ACC champion Clemson.
While preseason favorite Texas has garnered the most spotlight here at the College Football Hall of Fame, where media days are being held, there's a quiet confidence brewing at Alabama.
"We're starving," Lawson said. "We're not hungry, we're like starving. And that's different. That's different. ... Just to see no one transfer out of here when the time came, man, it just shows you that we got guys that's willing to do what they have to do to make us the most successful team that we can be. I'm just super excited. I know the guys are ready, and we go at it with each other every day, and I'm sure we all can't wait until we see a different color jersey even though we haven't even got into camp yet."
DeBoer said he's spending less time building the culture of the program and more time breaking down what happened in the four losses last year, and how they'll operate when certain situations happen.
"That's where we have to be better," he said. "because we fell short, five- six- seven-point losses. It's one play here, one play there that might have changed the outlook of the game.
"In some cases, it wasn't something anyone was doing wrong, it was just, 'Man, be better,'" he said. "It's not on the players, it's not on the coaches, it's just reps. Repetitions. Just do more together, more time together helps you feel more comfortable."
Even with a new quarterback and a familiar face in first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was with DeBoer at Washington, DeBoer said his gut feeling about this year's team is simply having a better sense of who it is.
"You still don't know Week 1 exactly what it's gonna look like, right?" he said. "... I know what I've got with these guys. It doesn't guarantee you anything but it gives you optimism, a lot of excitement, and continue to keep it honed in and headed in the right direction all together."
DeBoer has said that if the season started today, Simpson would be the starter, but he continued to stress that he will be tracking all of the quarterbacks' throws at practices, and watching their poise and leadership. Simpson, the most experienced of the bunch, completed 58 percent of his passes for 381 yards in three seasons at Alabama. Austin Mack was with DeBoer at Washington before following him to Alabama, where he went 2-for-3 for 39 yards and a touchdown in his lone appearance last season. Incoming freshman Keelon Russell was the No. 2 overall recruit in this year's ESPN 300 and was the 2024 Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year.
DeBoer said Simpson doesn't want to let anyone down -- almost to a fault -- and wants to make sure the young quarterback knows that, "if you've given everything you have, you're not letting us down because he didn't convert a third down, or didn't have a drive that ended in a touchdown. ... you don't have to live in that, the fear of failure."
"When you're not experienced ... sometimes you feel like, 'Man, I want to go make that play,' and it isn't the right calculated risk to take," DeBoer said, "... or things happen a little faster because you don't have enough of those reps, but he's done a great job. He's working hard to make sure he's taking care of the football, leading us. He's obviously a great teammate."
Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor said he's confident in the pass protection "for whoever's back there" at quarterback. He, too, said he's confident in DeBoer, whom he said shares some of the same qualities as former legendary coach Nick Saban.
"I knew that our athletic director wasn't just going to choose anybody to have this position," Proctor said, "and if coach DeBoer being there is the right fit, then I'm behind it."
