This is an opinion column
At the end of the game, I needed a minute. I can’t remember ever lingering in the stadium so long. My son skittered between the seats grabbing the leftover souvenir cups like I did when I was a kid. “Wow,” my brother exclaimed. My father and I made eye contact. We didn’t have to say anything. Three generations of my family had just experienced a memory writ in crimson flame.
I’ve often wondered what made them stay. Alabama’s once-in-a-generation football coach retired. Nick Saban recruited players to win national championships, create value for themselves, and have the opportunity to play in the NFL. The Program is the stuff of legend. His replacement was a new coach from out west who…smiles…a lot.
Not too long ago, college football vultures hoped to pick the crimson from the bones of Alabama’s uncertain future. Elite players bolted for programs like Ohio State and Texas. Others like Jalen Milroe, Tyler Booker, and Deontae Lawson pushed their chips all in with the coach who dared to fill Saban’s shoes.
“I want to wish them well wherever they go, but just because Coach Saban is gone, that doesn’t mean the standard is gone. He taught us that standard,” Booker said. “It really comes down to, ‘Why did you come to the school?’”
Years ago, Saban himself had to answer that question. Most of the current players are too young to remember when Saban showed up on campus in the shadow of the great Paul “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings. Sure he had won a national championship at LSU, but he arrived at Alabama after an uninspiring 15-17 record with the Miami Dolphins. What made him think he could succeed where other coaches had tried their hand and failed?
Whatever it is, DeBoer has it running through his veins as well.
Before the game, I saw confidence on the faces of the Georgia Bulldogs. The juggernaut marched onto Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium as the new standard of excellence in college football.
For two quarters, Alabama put on a clinic. It may have been the best first half of football I’ve ever seen. Three Georgia football fans in front of my family huddled for a prayer at halftime. Their prayers were answered as the Bulldogs came roaring back in the second half. For 13 seconds the entire stadium was stunned.
Then Milroe and Ryan Williams connected.
The only time I can recall the stadium being that loud was when the Tide made Tim Tebow cry. My crew was jumping and hugging and yelling. We celebrated like family with people we didn’t even know. High fives were dispensed all around.
Zabien Brown’s interception ended Georgia’s comeback hopes.
During those few minutes after the stadium emptied and the noise died down, I felt profound gratitude for Coach DeBoer and the ones who stuck with Alabama. DeBoer didn’t have to follow a legend. The players didn’t have to believe that Alabama was more than its former coach. In life, most people run from risk and uncertainty.
On the field against Georgia, the Alabama Crimson Tide just played the next play. The “let all naysayers know” mindset was on full display. Rumors of Alabama’s demise turned out to be premature.
My family will never forget a night we shared together with about 100,000 of our closest friends. It was one more memory with my dad. My son howled for the team until his voice gave out. He has been handing out “Roll Tide” greetings everywhere since. My brother and I were like kids again.
Yes, I know it’s just one game during the regular season. The Tide has plenty of football left to play. I was there for the second half. The team still has room to improve, and I don’t want the team swallowing any rat poison. I certainly can’t tell you how things will turn out for the remainder of the schedule, next year, or the rest of Coach DeBoer’s career.
I do know a coach who took on a challenge so many others would have rejected. I do know the players who resisted the pressure to leave. I do know the recruits who kept their commitments. That is Alabama football.
Most importantly, I will never forget how much it mattered to my family one Saturday down South. Roll Tide.
Smith is a recovering political attorney with four boys, two dogs, a bearded dragon, and an extremely patient wife. He’s a partner in a media company, a business strategy wonk, and a regular on talk radio. Please direct outrage or agreement to csmith@al.com or @DCameronSmith on X or @davidcameronsmith on Threads.
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