Following a 9-4 campaign in his first year at the helm, head coach Kalen DeBoer isn't convinced Alabama played to the program's standard in 2024.
"If you internally ask us, no," DeBoer said Wednesday at SEC media days, per AL.com's Matt Stahl. "We fell short of making the playoffs. It's as simple as that, right? Giving yourself a chance to go compete for a championship. I think there's a lot of things that I'm super proud of that have happened within the program that are part of the progression. Yeah, we want it right now, too."
Alabama entered a new era after legendary head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement in January 2024 following 17 seasons. The school turned to DeBoer, who had just led Washington to a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance in 2023, as Saban's successor.
DeBoer's debut campaign with Alabama marked unusual territory for a team that played in six national title games from 2015 to 2021, as the Crimson Tide missed the CFP and failed to win 10 contests for the first time since 2007.
Alabama won notable games against Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn but sustained gut-wrenching losses to Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide concluded their season with a loss to a shorthanded Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. However, DeBoer said he believes those struggles will ultimately prove beneficial to this year's team.
"We're going to take advantage of the failures we've had and be better because of it," DeBoer said.
DeBoer also told reporters that Ty Simpson would be in line to start for Alabama if the season kicked off Wednesday. His comments echo other Alabama coaches, who have picked Simpson as the front-runner to win the starting gig coming out of spring practices. The redshirt junior is competing against Austin Mack and freshman Keelon Russell for the No. 1 role.
Alabama opens its season against Florida State on Aug. 30.
