Nick Saban said Kalen DeBoer has done a “good job” for Alabama football

Nick Saban didn't speak to Kalen DeBoer after Alabama football's loss to Vanderbilt.

“I just didn’t want to get in the way this time,” Saban said Friday.

Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show from Eugene, Oregon on Friday and discussed the Vanderbilt game. Although he didn't speak to DeBoer after the game, Saban praised his successor when speaking to McAfee.

“I always put a lot of pressure on the assistant coaches because they're kind of your representatives when it comes to getting the message across to the team,” Saban said. “I think Kalen has done a good job of giving the team the right message.” Everyone in the organization needs to reinforce that because they are the people who attend the meetings with the players.

DeBoer took over for Saban in January after Saban retired after 17 seasons as coach of the Crimson Tide. DeBoer is already coming off a big win against Georgia, marking the program's first loss to Vanderbilt since 1984. It was one of several colossal upsets in college football a week ago.

“Instead of talking specifically about the Alabama-Vanderbilt game, I think you’re seeing a lot of ups and downs in college football right now,” Saban said. “A lot of teams that get big wins face significant disappointments the next week. I always talk about complacency, but when you combine a little complacency with a little arrogance because you have a big win wherever it was and you don't focus on the right things the next week, that's what you really get not towards the results you would like. If you don’t focus on the right things, the execution quickly falls apart.”

No. 7 Alabama faces South Carolina on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC) at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Nick Kelly is a beat writer from Alabama AL.com and Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X And Instagram.