Yes, the Bama Nation has a few Chicken Littles in right now, but I can assure them, that the sky is not falling in Tuscaloosa on the Crimson Tide.
Yes, losing Saban was a shock to many, but he is 72 years old and deserves a rest and some quality time with his lovely wife. We all knew the Tide would lose him sooner or later. And the players that are off seeking bigger paydays through the portal don’t mean an end to the Tide. Just like Saban, we all knew that sooner or later we’d lose them too, just to early draft in the NFL or graduation.
This is college football and nothing stays the same year in and year out. This is just more change than this fanbase is used to and for them, that’s a shock.
But this is Alabama, the place that coined the phrase, they don’t rebuild, they reload.
This is the place that has had a champion crowned in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. No one else has done that, no one else may ever have a legacy such as that. Tuscaloosa and the Crimson Tide are a unicorn, a thing of legend and wonder. There have been times when they were down, but they were never out. Nor will they ever be.
Some people chase paychecks, good luck to them. That is the crazy world that NIL has created. But there are still true-hearted men who chase greatness, and just like they always have, they will be attracted to Alabama.
DeBoer and his staff may still have some things to prove to doubters. I remember folks saying that Saban was a one-hit wonder with his championship at LSU, yet it all worked out as we all so well know. DeBoer has multiple championships and while the naysayers say it was “second tier” championships, it was Paul “Bear” Bryant that famously said, “I ain’t nothing but a winner.” So far in his career, so is DeBoer.
I do not know this new coach personally, have never interviewed him or even shaken his hand yet, but I’ve done so much research into his life that I know a little bit of the metal of the man. To that end, I can assure you that he’d rather have a team chasing greatness with a united goal-oriented team than half a team doing that and the other half chasing the biggest paychecks or personal notoriety. And I know the men who are remaining on this team are doing so for all the right reasons.
The news is upsetting to fans because of the inane rules that govern the transfer portal. Right now the portal works against the Tide. Any team can poach any player on our roster now and induce them with whatever NIL deal they can come up with. But right now, that water is only flowing one way for the most part. Alabama can not add players through the portal right now, unless, like Alabama, their coach has just left his job at their school.
But when open season with the portal begins again, you can bet your bottom dollar that Alabama will have players lined up to look over to plug the holes they are losing right now. Alabama in the past has always been the recipient of the good things that can come from the portal and they will again. But now and for a little while longer, it’s going to be more one-sided against them.
Even with this drain from the portal, this team remains one of the strongest in the SEC and still remains a team favored to make next year’s playoffs. They still have amazing recruits lining up to become future stars and as we just discussed, the portal will soon swing back open for Alabama to add even more firepower.
The fans of the Crimson Tide need to be like the fans from all the decades back to the 30s, who didn’t look back and long for the glory Alabama had in the ’20s but were looking toward the future to write their own glory “In Crimson flame” as it says in their fight song.
My advice to the fanbase is simple, put away your fear and doubts in the present and look forward to what lies in front of you. Have faith in your school, have faith in its legacy, and take pride in the fact that this is not a normal place. This is Tuscaloosa, Title Town, the pride of the Southland. Our time has not come and gone, our time has been going forward since 1925 when Alabama shocked the world for the first time and beat an “unbeatable” and in present day, ironicly, the University of Washington.
So no Chicken Little, I assure you the sky is not falling, we are simply waiting for the dark skies to part and bring yet another inevitable championship. You should not be less optimistic than the other 20 decades of fans who saw a champion crowned.
Larry Burton has been writing for over 20 years, been a credentialed writer for Alabama and been published in almost every college football venue. At 66 years old he was going to retire from writing completely, but is going to add a few more thoughts to that book. You can follow him on Twitter/X at: https://twitter.com/LBSportswriter
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