"I think he'll win national championship first": CFB insider drops his verdict on Kalen DeBoer vs Dan Lanning debate

Kalen DeBoer and Dan Lanning are two big forces in the SEC and Big Ten heading into the 2025 season. Both coaches are hungry to win a national championship, something that's been long overdue ever since they took up the top job at their schools.

Who makes the podium first? Insider Josh Pate has no apprehensions. According to him, it's the Alabama coach who wins the championship title first, compared to Lanning.

When it comes to achievements and the pace of the development, both coaches are head-to-head, but certain other things give DeBoer an edge over the Oregon HC, per Pate.

DeBoer took Washington to the title game in 2024, but it turned out to be a heartbreak. Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan proved to be too strong to get slayed and took the golden trophy home.

But this season, Pate sees DeBoer making history at Bama.

“My answer is Kalen DeBoer. I think he'll win a national championship first,” Pate said on his show on Friday.

“For me, I trust Dan Lanning to load his roster. Every year, I trust Kalen DeBoer to load his roster. Every year, I trust Dan Lanning to be in the Big Ten championship race and the playoff picture. Every year, I trust DeBoer in the SEC championship picture and playoff race.

"Every year, there's a lot that I trust both of them to be doing in terms of checking these boxes. So if there's a tiebreaker that I need, it's gonna be head-to-head.

“I'm gonna publicly doubt him on the show tonight. I'm gonna say DeBoer wins a title before him, and then after the show, I'm probably gonna clip this and text it to him, and I'm gonna say, 'You're welcome. Have a good summer.'

"But no lie, if you think about this stat here, if you want a paper popper of a stat, not only is he 3-0 against Lanning, he is 6-0 against Lanning, Steve Sarkisian and Kirby Smart.”

Kalen DeBoer has expectations mounting after 2024 heartbreak

Kalen DeBoer's first season at Alabama has been nothing but a disappointment for fans, especially after the team failed to record a 10-win season. This was a massive 17-year record that Nick Saban sustained.

Similarly, the team did not make the College Football Playoff.

During this offseason, DeBoer acknowledged the jitters and said that the team is gearing up to rectify these errors in 2025.

Expect nothing less than a playoff spot for Kalen DeBoer & Co. in the upcoming 2025 campaign.