College football season is upon us and the winds of change are blowing in Alabama as Kalen DeBoer looks to fill the big shoes of the legendary Nick Saban in his first season at the head of the Crimson Tide program.
Alabama earned the No. 5 ranking in the first AP Top 25 poll of the season, released on Monday (check out Julian Edlow’s analysis here).
DeBoer joined Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. on Tuesday’s edition of GoJo and Golic to discuss all things Crimson Tide heading into the first season of the post-Saban era in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama currently has +1400 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to win the national title. Winning is expected in Tuscaloosa. Senior wants to know if DeBoer has already run into fans who had made clear the importance of winning every game, every year? DeBoer says he hears it, he feels it and all kidding aside, he knew what the expectations were coming in and that is part of the reason why he left Washington to take the reins at Alabama. Not having expectations isn’t fun to be a part of, he says. He would rather be a part of something that has a lot of expectations.
GoJo asks Coach DeBoer what has stood out most as he begins to work with QB Jalen Milroe, who has +1400 odds in the Heisman Trophy race on DraftKings Sportsbook. DeBoer says it’s well documented that Milroe is an early riser and you see that work paying off. DeBoer says he’s trying to anticipate what things will look on game day as Milroe is starting to ask deeper questions about the offense. DeBoer says he appreciates how much Milroe is thinking about things and how much work he is putting into his goals for this season.
Of course, this season will also see a shift to a 12-team playoff format. Alabama currently has -110 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook to make the new expanded playoff, so Senior wonders how the expanded postseason changes the philosophy of a season. DeBoer says he hasn’t really incorporated much new much yet because you have to be playing great football to get to those extra games and you have to get off to a fast start. He says the key is to be playing your best football and have your players healthiest at the end of the year. He says the key is to do a good job in the moments as you go through the year and get some other guys some action to help build depth and keep players fresh.
As far as the mindset of more playoff teams making it easier to get in, DeBoer doesn’t think that will be the case at all. In fact, he thinks it’s going to be a fight until the very end.
The good news for Coach DeBoer is with the return of EA Sports College Football, his players have gotten a chance to get a jump on their prep work.
Watch or listen to the full show below and make sure to tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: USA Basketball Losing Infinity Stones, The Noah Lyles Saga, and Haason Reddick Jetting Out?
Hour 2: ‘Bama Football State Of The Union, Big 10 Win Totals, and Tom Haberstroh Joins to Discuss the 2028 USA Basketball Roster
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
