Few Crimson Tide coaches have won big in first season on job
Published: Aug. 22, 2024, 6:30 a.m.Kalen DeBoer’s first Alabama football team is ranked No. 5 in the two major national preseason polls, so the expectation is at least that the Crimson Tide will contend for the SEC championship and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Here’s a look back at debut seasons for Alabama head coaches in the last 100 years, in reverse chronological order: Dennis Franchione lost to UCLA in his debut as Alabama head football coach, but ended the regular season with three straight wins. Franchione was probably a better coach than he’s remembered as because of the way he left, but his debut season was truly up and down. The Crimson Tide turned in some wretched defensive performances, including against Tennessee and LSU.
Ray Perkins took over from legendary Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and went 8-4 in 1983, his first season. Perhaps the greatest parallel to DeBoer is Perkins, who took over for a legend who had been and remains synonymous with Alabama football. The former Alabama split end — who left the NFL’s New York Giants to return to his alma mater — did his best to distance himself from Paul “Bear” Bryant’s legacy.
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