Saban went 7-6 his first year at Alabama. DeBoer won 9 games his first season...but DeBoer had FAR more talent than did Saban.
I cannot speak for Alabama fans, but for the older ones like me who lived through Bryant's last 5 years, then wandered in the wilderness from 1983-2007 with only 1 national title in 1992, I don't expect Bryant/Saban level of dominance. Saban boosted Alabama's reputation to Olympian levels, but to expect another 6 national titles in 12 seasons is insane in my opinion. MI wins a title every 60 or so years. Alabama has 13 national titles in the last 64 years. Alabama will get exceptional, elite players as long as it hires great coaches. It will sign many great but not elite players with a lesser coach. However, MI proved that if you can keep good and great players--but not elite players--around for 4 and 5 years, you can win a title. But can you do that in the NIL era? Older fans like me are hoping Alabama can win a title every 4 or 5 years. To expect much more than that is, to me, unrealistic. Going forward, I don't see a lot of daylight between Alabama, GA, and TX in the future, and LSU and FL can sneak into that level with the right coach, maybe even TN?
But old guys like me will be the ones who will be saying, 10 years from now in 2035 (if I am above dirt): "Yeah, we only won 10 games this year, but remember when Tua hit Smitty in OT with that walk-off TD to win the 2017 title against Georgia?" or "That defense was good this year, but it was nowhere near the 2011 level of defense we had on that national title team."
Que up Jethro Tull's "Living in the Past."
