Kalen DeBoer will never surpass Nick Saban in Alabama, claims insider: "It don't matter how successful he is"

Alabama head coaches Kalen DeBoer and Nick Saban are constantly compared by Crimson Tide Fans. Although DeBoer did not have a terrible first season, finishing with a 9-4 record, it was the first time since 2007 that they had less than 10 wins. That makes it challenging for DeBoer to get out of the shadow of former head coach Nick Saban.

Saban was beloved in Alabama, not just because he won several national championships, but also because of his eclectic personality. On Thursday, Woody Paige, a panelist on "Around the Horn," appeared on "The Paul Finebaum Show." He spoke about why he does not think Kalen DeBoer can ever surpass Nick Saban in the hearts of Alabama fans (Timestamp 5:30).

"You know I heard someone say something the other day, he (Kalen DeBoer) just don't have Nick Saban's personality and I agree with that," Paige said. "He is never going to be as popular as Nick Saban. It don't matter how successful he is. I don't know if we're ever going to accept this guy."

The fact that he lost to Vanderbilt for the first time in 40 years. I don't know how many National Championships it'll take to erase that. It may take two or three for me to erase that, it really might. I don't know if he ever gonna be accepted. I hope so. I hope we can move on. I don't know. The more he talks, the dryer he is. I don't know."

Kalen DeBoer discusses the QB battle in Alabama in his second season as head coach after Nick Saban's departure

For Kalen DeBoer to have a successful second season as head coach, he will need to solve his QB situation. Last season, it was clear that Jalen Milroe was the starter. However, with Milroe starting his NFL career, the Crimson Tide have a QB battle heading into the season.

The battle for the QB1 job is between Ty Simpson, Austin Mack, and Keelon Russell. In an appearance on "The Next Round" on Friday, DeBoer was asked who the favorite is to be the starter next season.

"We'll continue to let those guys compete through fall camp," DeBoer said. "If we played a game today, Ty (Simpson) has made a lot of progress in the 15 practices we had there (in spring)."

However, DeBoer also said that the competition is still competitive. So, it will be interesting to see if Simpson can hold onto the job until the start of the year.