Alabama's Kalen DeBoer: Nick Saban Will Have '100% Access' to Team After Retirement

New Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters that his predecessor, recently retired seven-time national champion Nick Saban, will have "100 percent access to everything."

"I would be a fool if that wasn't the case," DeBoer said, per Mike Rodak of AL.com.

"I'm gonna ask him that he shows up and gives me at least one thing every day. I'm sure he's going to have 10. I'm gonna be good with that. But at least one thing he sees that we can get better at."

DeBoer also said that he and Saban met for the first time on Friday.

The 49-year-old DeBoer has an all-time head coaching record of 104-12 with Sioux Falls, Fresno State and Washington. DeBoer just led the Huskies to a national championship game appearance and a 14-1 record.

According to athletic director Greg Byrne, Saban is more than willing to help out his successor:

DeBoer has a tough task up ahead at Alabama. Most notably, filling the shoes of a man who won six national titles at the school from 2009-2020 is pretty tough. He'll naturally be compared to Saban no matter what he does during his Alabama tenure.

So he'll need help along the way, and Saban being willing to offer that advice (and DeBoer publicly acknowledging his acceptance of it) is a good sign.

However, DeBoer does know a thing or two about winning, and his work at Washington this past season was sensational. It's tough for the Huskies to see DeBoer leave so abruptly, but he explained why he made the decision.

Overall, DeBoer said all the right things at his introductory presser. He'll ultimately be judged by wins and losses, of course, but for now, he's done well for himself as this new chapter of Alabama football begins.