Kalen DeBoer made his debut Wednesday at the Southeastern Conference’s annual media days spectacle.
While some may have viewed the scene in Dallas as Alabama’s new football coach facing a slew of preseason cameras and microphones for the first time, DeBoer used the moment to provide a more pertinent declaration.
The successor to the legendary Nick Saban no longer feels like his Crimson Tide are playing catch-up.
“Every day I walk in the building and see people who are beyond motivated and are driven to be great and uphold the standard of Alabama football,” DeBoer said. “They understood there was a gap that needed to be closed early on, because any time you institute and are incorporating new strategies along with building new relationships, there is a gap you have to close.
“Now, I think we’ve closed that gap, and the whole thing now is focusing on separating ourselves with the focus and commitment this summer.”