Alabama enjoyed continuity on the offensive coaching staff in 2025. The only change was the addition of coordinator Ryan Grubb, and even that didn't lead to the departure of his predecessor, Nick Sheridan, who shifted to become co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.
This offseason was different, though. Not only did Sheridan leave for Michigan State, where he will be the sole OC, but wide receiver coach JaMarcus Shephard went west to take over as the head coach at Oregon State. And offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic was let go, later joining Auburn as an analyst.
DeBoer first hired former Auburn assistant Derrick Nix to replace Shephard as receivers coach. Then he shifted tight end coach Bryan Ellis to coaching quarterbacks. Longtime college and NFL assistant Adrian Klemm was brought in to coach the line, followed by the addition of former Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens to coach tight ends.
DeBoer said that first and foremost, he was looking for "great teachers" in his new assistants.
"Guys that are high-level experts that have a high standard, have done it before," he said. "And it helped with o-line and tight end that those guys have done it in the NFL as a player or as a coach.
"We were looking for the best people and coaches we could find. It fell into place."
Klemm, who was most recently an analyst at USC, was part of coaching staff with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was someone on DeBoer's radar for years, talking to former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin about him.
While Owens' most recent experience is with the o-line, he played tight end in college and then in the NFL for six seasons. He coached the position at UAB, South Alabama and Louisville.
"I love the combination of what I've seen already, and their styles, their expectations," DeBoer said. "You know, they're what you want in a great coach. And then obviously Nix has been around the SEC for a long time and done it high level, too. So he's well versed. And just really, I think, has brought the receiving core together, at least as a unit and their personalities, and got them working at a high level."
Before Auburn, Nix spent 15 seasons on staff at Ole Miss.
I asked DeBoer about Klemm specifically — what people should expect from him leading the line.
"He's very strong with what his expectations are, and following through with you meeting those expectations, not just on the field but off the field," he said. "And he's really, what I've noticed, is he's extremely efficient in being able to coach a player after every rep, and it be precise, it be something that's easily understood, and he's on to the next rep with the next player and with the next play, you know.
"And so that's a guy that knows exactly what he's looking for, what it's supposed to look like, a guy that can see what didn't happen, communicate it, and then will go make you go do it again. And that's what great coaches do."
The execution of the offensive line, DeBoer said, is critical.
"I mean, four guys can do a great job, and one guy's not quite in sync. He may know his assignment, but just the execution of that assignment is not how it's done," he explained. "And it's a mindset, right? It's that's so much of football, but especially the offensive line is developing a mindset and a confidence and belief that you're gonna go take over the guy and the unit in front of you."