If DeBoer beats Oklahoma and our crush, Hugh, their last game, they finish 10-2 in his first season.
After 10 games with a qb who can barely throw (but run really well) they are averaging a full touchdown more per game so far in comparison to last year, and their defense ppg allowed has sightly improved 1 ppg. Both units (scoring ppg) are in the top 10 in the country this year.
Did he inherit Sabans players and infrastructure ? Sure. But did he inherit losing 10 draft picks, 31 scholarship losses to the portal, and losing 10 total dbs ? Yep.
The guy lost NEARLY 50% of the magical Saban roster in year 1 and is 8-2 with the strong possibility of being 10-2. He’s doing this with basically a top 5/10 overall SOS.
Auburn has played better later in their season relative to the beginning (the dynamic between Freeze and DeBoer remains super interesting) and an upset could lessen the impact of these basic points. But if the regular season holds out like it should (10-2) with nearly half the roster gone from last year and a top 10 SOS it’s still super impressive as a year 1 coach with the insane pressure to follow Saban.
Again they could have a bad upset their last two games, but if it holds, given the challenges in following Saban, dealing with incredible roster loss, and having a very challenging schedule makes year 1 at a macro level so far look really good.
You make some interesting points.
But let's take a closer look.
You say Milroe "can barely throw". Yet the stats don't show that. He's the #5 quarterback in the country by QBR and seems to be slotted as the #4 QB in the upcoming NFL draft. If that's a guy who "can barely throw", then give me that at Miami every single year.
Offensive points production - Yes, there is an improvement from 2023 (regular season) to 2024. But that is almost due to the OOC schedule, particularly two games. In 2023, Alabama lost to Texas (OOC) and struggled with USF. This year, Alabama destroyed USF and Wisconsin. Therefore, almost all of the "offensive improvement" came in September in two OOC games, because the SEC offensive production is nearly identical between 2023 (regular season) and 2024.
Defensive points allowed - Similar to what is described above, when you look at SEC only, Alabama is actually giving up nearly 7 points per game MORE than they did last year. Through 6 SEC games, Alabama has given up 160 points, while they gave up 161 points in 8 SEC games in 2023 (regular season). Again, any defensive improvement has come from the OOC games, as Alabama shut out Western Kentucky and Wisconsin in 2024, and held USF and Mercer to a combined 23 points.
The moral of the story? Add Texas to the SEC and replace that OOC game with a much weaker opponent like Wisconsin (and/or cripple the Wisconsin QB at the beginning of the game).
Yes, Alabama lost a bunch of guys. And in a weird way, this seems to be right in DeBoer's wheelhouse. He has not yet stayed at a head coaching job very well, so he seems to be good at a quick turnaround, though it is less certain how "permanent" his turnarounds are. Full credit to DeBoer for keeping things together for Year 1 at Alabama.
You keep talking about this 10-2, let's see what transpires. I'm willing to give credit that is earned.
Ultimately, it's possible that DeBoer can ramp things up for the first few years, but that could be Norvell-like and/or Sanders-like, we just don't know yet. I would like to see how things go once DeBoer has his own players in place and he is spending his fifth year in Tuscaloosa.
She looks to be about 15!
? Asking for a friend.
