Elite 5-star recruit's family praises Kalen DeBoer for keeping main pillar of Nick Saban's philosophy at Alabama
The Nick Saban era at Alabama was transformative for not only the Crimson Tide's program, but the pillars of what defined Saban's success permeated throughout college football. So many of his former assistants and rivals tried to emulate his tactics but few were able sustain winning operations for elongated stretches. Second-year Alabama head coach Kalen […]
The Nick Saban era at Alabama was transformative for not only the Crimson Tide's program, but the pillars of what defined Saban's success permeated throughout college football. So many of his former assistants and rivals tried to emulate his tactics but few were able sustain winning operations for elongated stretches.
Second-year Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer had the impossible task of following Saban after his shocking retirement, but he's not fallen into the trap of replicating everything Saban did. That's a tough line to thread of being yourself but upholding the high standards that come with the Alabama job.
The father of 5-star defensive back Jorden Edmonds recapped his son's recent visit to Alabama, and the outcome was highly encouraging for DeBoer and the Tide. Regardless of whether the nation's top-ranked cornerback ends up going with Georgia, Alabama, or Ohio State, the Georgia native is giving Tide fans good reason to be excited.
His father, Chris, said he and his son love that DeBoer is continuing to put an emphasis on player development over just recruiting stars.
“I think with his mindset and with the coaching staff, I think they’re more willing to help develop players. I think that’s the old-school mentality, and Jorden coming in as a freshman, I think they’ll be willing to develop more than just throw products out there based on stars and develop players to be elite college players or to go to the NFL. I think they have always have had that.”
While Saban did famously stack five star talents as often as he could, the in-house development within the program was unrivaled. He always got the most out of his teams, and that was why his program became an NFL factory for almost two decades.
Edmonds is crystal balled to pick Alabama, and his father said his hard-working nature fits right in with their culture. This would be a massive win for the Tide on the 2026 recruiting trail.
