TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — First year Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has been under a microscope since the moment he and his family touched down at the Tuscaloosa regional airport in January to replace legendary head coach Nick Saban.
DeBoer immediately went to work hiring staff, retaining the Alabama roster and beginning to establish his culture and vision for the Crimson Tide program. The changes brought questions and scrutiny as naysayers wondered if Alabama could maintain its dominance if DeBoer played music at practice, allowed the players and coaches more media access or rearranged the practice schedule to the morning.
At 7-2 with wins over the Georgia Bulldogs and LSU Tigers and sitting right inside the College Football Playoff picture it's safe to say that it's working. DeBoer and his staff maintained the vision for the program since January and it's landed Alabama right in the thick of contention for an SEC Championship and another playoff berth.
Regardless of Alabama's record, while important, perhaps the most important change DeBoer's made to the program's routine happens on Fridays. The Crimson Tide handles its business on the field and in a walk throughs as they prepare for the next day's game, but then welcomes different Alabama fans and their children into practice to share an inspirational moment with the team.
"Yeah, we really started doing it back at Washington, more of a regularly scheduled, kind of every Friday, type of format and we called it Husky Heroes there, now it's Tide Teammates," DeBoer said. "It just became a thing where you saw the joy you were bringing to people and there's some good energy that our players even have and some excitement as we wrap up that Friday practice and walk through.
Tide Teammates ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PEbliR59sV
"It makes you feel good when you're doing things for other people. People just love the game, look up to these players as idols, are fighting their own battles in many different ways and hopefully gives some perspective to our guys that the battle we're going to be fighting on the field is really nothing compared to the battles some people are fighting for, especially when it comes to their lives or the things they've been up against throughout their time. It's been really cool, the guys have taken to it and enjoyed it, I think."
DeBoer welcoming in families with children in special circumstances teaches the players that their impact goes beyond what happens on the field. The Crimson Tide players get to see people going through struggles, putting the blessing of playing football in the SEC in perspective.
Tide Teammates ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zxzc2DdqgN
"Kids come in here and we let them score touchdowns and we hear how they've been going through life," Alabama wide receiver Kendrick Law said. "When I say 'going through life' I mean some of these kids have disabilities and things that's wrong with them. I kind of like how we constantly do this week in and week out because it shows their families and things like that their kids can come out here, interact with us, we love upon them, they love upon us, they score touchdowns, it just shows us outside of football the characteristics that a lot of guys on the team, not just me, have for kids and things like that. I think that's pretty special what we've been doing."
Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day. ❤️#TideTeammates #RollTide pic.twitter.com/KeFiBfJngH
DeBoer has come to Tuscaloosa and sustained a winning program as the Crimson Tide are on the verge of qualifying for another College Football Playoff. He's made several changes to policies, procedures and schedules, making the program his own in the process. Every change is put under the microscope as the program strives to maintain the standard, but Tide Teammates on Friday is an undeniably positive move that shows that life is about more that wins and losses in a game.
My name is Joe Gaither, I am a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., and a 2018 graduate of the University of Alabama. I have a strong passion for sports and giving a voice to the underserved. Feel free to email me at joegaither6@icloud.com for tips, story ideas or comments.
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