"That's our responsibility": Kalen DeBoer vows to break Big Ten streak at national championship as Alabama aims big in 2025

Kalen DeBoer wants to bring the national championship back to the SEC in 2025.

Speaking at SEC media day, DeBoer was asked about the recent run that the Big 10 conference has seen, winning back-to-back national championships.

"That's our responsibility, to be at the top. That's the expectation at Alabama, but also the expectation for the SEC as a whole."

The SEC last won the national title in 2022, when Georgia won its second consecutive national title that year. While the SEC remains dominant with its plethora of elite programs over the past few seasons, the Big 10 has continued to manage national title victories.

With the CFP format likely expanding to a 16-team format soon, it will be interesting to see how this affects the SEC's ability to get back on top of the mountain with more teams in the fold.

Can Alabama return to its former glory under Kalen DeBoer?

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Once upon a time, Alabama winning the national championship in college football was an expectation. Nick Saban and company ran an elite program, where losing was a rarity. During his time with the Crimson Tide, Saban led Alabama to six national championship victories, which is still considered one of, if not the best, runs of any coach with a single program.

Saban retired from coaching in January of 2024. After joining the analysts desk with ESPN, Alabama replaced Saban with Kalen DeBoer, signing him away from the Washington Huskies. In his first season with Alabama this past year, DeBoer led Alabama to a 9-4 overall record.

The season included a bowl game appearance and an impressive showing from quarterback Jalen Milroe, who was a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

Now, Kalen DeBoer is hoping to build off what he and Alabama did last season, hopefully helping the program earn its first national title since 2020. They'll get things underway when they kick off their 2025 season against Florida State on August 30.