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What does Kalen DeBoer bring? What does he not bring? Will his wiz of an offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, come along? And are his shoulders broad enough to bear the weight of replacing a living legend?
On his first day on the job, there were myriad questions about Alabama football’s 28th head coach. But let’s put this one to rest right now: Can he recruit in the South, where he has no ties whatsoever?
Answer: It just doesn’t matter.
GOODBREAD: Alabama departs from Nick Saban tree to hire Kalen DeBoer — a bold move by Greg Byrne
MORE: Relive Nick Saban’s epic Alabama football coaching career with our special book!
To be clear, recruiting in the South matters greatly. But what doesn’t matter is whether he can pick up the phone and chum around with a high school coach to get his foot in the door with a top recruit. Regional and state recruiting ties don’t water the grass like they used to. Money matters. When NIL deals talk, long-time relationships with high school coaches walk.
Like it or hate it − and make no mistake, Nick Saban hated that particular aspect of NIL − that’s the reality. And it’s a reality that should help DeBoer to succeed where the bygone reality might have caused him to fail.
On Saturday, UA Director of Athletics Greg Byrne was taking his final question from reporters when DeBoer walked into the room to take his first. Mid-answer, Byrne spotted DeBoer walking in, and caught him up to speed on the question.
“They’re asking me about you not having ties in the South, and how that works,” Byrne said to the coach before completing his answer to the room at large. “I just think it’s an added bonus if you have that, but if you look at the criteria and what you’re looking for, if that’s a non-starter, I think that’s very short-sighted in what you do.”
The letters NIL didn’t appear anywhere in that response,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-footballs-kalen-deboer-recruit-205951675.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-01-13 20:59:51
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