Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama tenure was never going to be about pageantry. He walked into a locker room still echoing with Nick Saban’s voice, an operation defined by structure, silence, and sustained excellence. And before he could even open a playbook, it began to unravel: Caleb Downs to Ohio State. Kadyn Proctor, gone and then back. A dozen minor losses that, collectively, threatened to cut deeper than any single departure.
Alabama’s roster is still among the most talented in the country. But DeBoer is learning what it means to inherit a throne, not just a program. The room is full of expectations, and almost none of them are his.
Which brings us to Brody Dalton.
The 250-pound Troy tight end is expected to visit Tuscaloosa next week, per reports. It may seem like a low-profile transfer pursuit: a group of five upperclassmen with 18 targets last season. But peel it back, and Dalton’s tape looks a lot like the kinds of players DeBoer has trusted before.
Fifteen catches, no drops. Eight first downs. Most of his production came late in the year, when the games mattered more, the coverage got tighter, and his usage rate ticked up. He played last season at Troy. Had 15 catches, 188 yards, three scores. Most of that came in the final five games. He didn’t drop a single pass. He blocked like he knew he wouldn’t get another offer if he coasted. And now he is reportedly being recruited by Alabama.
Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer on the sideline during the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images
That sentence alone says something about where the Tide are right now. It’s not a knock on Dalton. His tape is clean, and his red zone feel is legit. Saban’s Alabama teams have been built on elite talent, especially at positions like tight end, where the program routinely targets high-ceiling athletes who can contribute in both the run game and the passing attack. The likes of O.J. Howard, Irv Smith Jr., and even Miller Forristall all fit the bill of dynamic, multi-dimensional tight ends. Dalton doesn’t quite measure up to those past stars, but that’s exactly why he might be just what DeBoer is looking for.
It’s less about upside than it is about structure. Alabama needs tight ends who can line up, execute, and not crater a drive. At Washington, Jack Westover played over 750 snaps doing exactly that. Didn’t put up numbers. Did his job. That’s who Dalton would be here.
This is what DeBoer is trying to build, piece by piece. Not a roster full of stars, but one that doesn’t leak in key spots. After a winter where Alabama got punched in the mouth by the portal, it’s necessary.
Why Does Carroll College Still Haunt DeBoer’s Playbook?
Kalen DeBoer’s worst nightmare isn’t any five-star recruit ghosting him for Georgia. The plot of the recurring fever dream takes place in an Icy Montana field, where the ghosts of Carroll College still dance. Before achieving FBS Coach of the Year, DeBoer learned tough lessons as a rookie NAIA head coach at Sioux Falls, notably during a humbling 55-0 loss to Carroll College in the 2005 semifinal, marking his entry into high-level coaching.
Ask anyone who’s worked with DeBoer, and they’ll say the same thing: he’s deliberate. Sometimes to a fault. But he remembers the games that exposed him. The 55–0 playoff loss to Carroll College in 2005 still lives in the back of his head. So does the 2007 NAIA title game — a 17–9 loss, in the mud, to the same Carroll program. That one was worse. Sioux Falls had the better team. Carroll had better control.
That’s the version of football DeBoer trusts. Not the shootout. The game where everything slows down and your margin for error shrinks. The game where you need a tight end to hold his block for one more second. And maybe that’s why a guy like Brody Dalton matters more to this staff than fans might realize. Dalton’s trip is important for his future in Tuscaloosa, though, with Saban’s influence casting a large shadow over it.
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