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After a brief-yet-exhaustive search, one that was projected to last 72 hours but was complete in 49, Alabama football selected Washington’s Kalen DeBoer as the successor to legendary Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who retired Wednesday after six national championships in 17 seasons at the helm.
On Saturday afternoon, and with Saban watching from the first row, DeBoer got his first chance to introduce himself to the university, its fans and the state as a whole. A man who previously existed as more of an idea — with a record, a work history and a list of various accomplishments — is now something more.
As he spoke to close for 20 minutes at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, the same place where he’ll be leading his first Tide team on the field in about seven months to take on Western Kentucky, DeBoer spoke about a variety of subjects, from his overall philosophy to his plans for the program to his rationale for accepting the daunting task of following Saban.
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His time at the podium was preceded by some remarks from Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, who spoke at some length about why he selected DeBoer among all of the intriguing options for the position. Here are some highlights from DeBoer’s introductory news conference:
Kalen DeBoer introductory news conference highlights
Why he chose Alabama
“I want to reiterate my excitement. People have already asked, ‘Why would you go to Alabama? Why?’ I think there are a lot of really obvious answers. I’ve touched on that. When it comes to the tradition and the history of the program, it’s second to none. When I look at places I want to be, it’s about wining championships. That’s an expectation that I cannot wait and accept as a privilege to try to uphold —…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kalen-deboer-news-conference-highlights-213339299.html
Author : The Tuscaloosa News
Publish date : 2024-01-13 21:33:39
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