Nick Saban, apart from winning those 6 national titles, 9 SEC championships, and placing Alabama in the S tier of college football, also brought a unique discipline to the program never been experienced before. For instance, right from ensuring that even the locker room bathrooms are clean to parting ways with staff members whose approaches did not align with his philosophy, including Lane Kiffin, Saban’s ‘process’ brought unprecedented success. But what if Bama gets a wholly opposite head coach from Saban, someone who is flamboyant and yet demanding, media savvy yet polarizing, someone probably like Coach Prime?
It’s been a possibility not many would expect, considering Coach Prime is still at Colorado and Kalen DeBoer is trying to rise up from his 2024 season debacle at Alabama. And yet, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith appeared on ESPN College Football’s 19th August episode with Paul Finebaum and explored that possibility. Smith predicted that Coach Prime could land in Alabama if he doesn’t have a “great year” with Colorado.
“He (Deion Sanders) has shown what he can do when he has talent. He has shown an ability to recruit talent, to get people to want to come to his program. I mean, last year when they (Colorado) won their A games, and they had a successful season, it was the best season they had since 2016. Well, just imagine if he were in Tuscaloosa. What if instead of DeBoer, he is coaching Alabama?” said Stephen A. Moreover, according to Smith, Saban is missed quite a lot at Alabama, and that could become a catalyst for Coach Prime’s arrival.
“You know this, Paul, they miss Nick Saban…You know, and when you don’t have him, you can’t have somebody that brings a finesse style game to Alabama. That’s meat and potatoes, y’all. That’s steak and potatoes for breakfast. This is what we are talking about here,” said Stephen A., and declared how Coach Prime could change the “softer” offense that Kalen DeBoer has brought, according to him.
“We didn’t see that with the ball,” said Smith, talking about how Kalen DeBoer’s offense is miles apart from what Nick Saban had at Alabama. And then? The veteran ESPN analyst expanded on how Coach Prime could bring that aspect of the offense back. And we have already seen what Coach Prime’s offense can do, with Travis Hunter winning the Heisman Trophy, right?
” I thought they were considerably softer. And I’m not going to lie to you, I would not have minded at all if Alabama changed course and they brought somebody like Prime Time to Alabama. That would have been spectacular. Hogs up in there, right? This is what we are talking about. And I think it’s something they still should consider down the line if next year is this season is a repeat of last season. That’s just my opinion,” concluded Stephen A. Smith.
Kalen DeBoer is going into the 2025 season at Alabama with high expectations and a wealth of resources that a program like Alabama has. So, anything less than a playoff qualification wouldn’t be acceptable to the fanbase. And getting beat by Vanderbilt or Oklahoma again? We could see a mid-season firing, truly. On the other hand, Coach Prime has lost most of his crucial pieces, including Hunter, Shedeur Sanders, LaJontay Wester, and Jimmy Horn Jr., making success quite elusive to repeat. But even if success doesn’t come, will it be a question of Coach Prime’s abilities?
Paul Finebaum also gives a green signal to Coach Prime and the Bama possibility
Alabama, being a perennial college football giant, boasts top 5 classes every year, with its 2025 class already ranked 3rd nationally. Moreover, financially, too, Alabama has deeper pockets with a vast NIL budget. On the other hand, Colorado’s recruitment classes have been lower ranked, with the 2025 class ranked 35th nationally, with Coach Prime mostly relying on transfers (34). Now imagine if Coach Prime could get Bama’s resources?
Well, it will surely result in unprecedented success, and maybe the path towards that can also open, too. Why? Paul Finebaum also showed excitement with Stephen A’s idea to bring Coach Prime to Alabama, as he showed a tough road ahead for Kalen DeBoer that could vacate the seat for Kalen DeBoer. “If DeBoer doesn’t win this year, I don’t have any doubt conversations like this are going to continue,” declared Finebaum. The verdict?
Bringing Coach Prime to Alabama as a head coach is truly an intriguing idea. But that probably would be low-profile for now. And even if a Power 5 offer comes, it will most likely be from either the Gators or FSU, both of which are under performance scrutiny. Moreover, Coach Prime, being a native of Florida, also would accept the job readily, as Stephen A. said, “He desperately wanted to go back to Florida State, but they didn’t want him.” But now? If Mike Norvell can’t fuel a comeback after a 2-win season, FSU might just come knocking on Coach Prime’s door.
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