This is an opinion column.

Deck the halls. Lotzeir Brooks caught two touchdown balls.

Alabama’s come-from-behind victory against Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff shined a holiday light on Alabama’s freshman receiver from New Jersey. Brooks saved Alabama with his high-wire heroics, and he is now one of the top young players in the country going into the Rose Bowl.

Curiously, Brooks’ breakout game came after his position coach left the Crimson Tide to be the head coach at Oregon State. That got us thinking.

Perhaps we haven’t been giving Alabama’s head coach enough credit.

Maybe it’s time to give Kalen DeBoer a fresh look in 2026.

Consider this column a New Year’s resolution for DeBoer’s evolution.

We were tough on DeBoer in 2025, especially after that monumental loss to Florida State to begin the season. I then called out Alabama’s lack of toughness against Georgia, and former Tide coach Nick Saban read that column and doubled down.

Admit it, you didn’t think Alabama had a chance against Oklahoma after falling behind 17-0 in the first half.

But Brooks believed, and he put himself in position to do something about it.

If we know anything about football, then it’s that something like Brooks’ two-touchdown night doesn’t happen by accident.

Brooks made that beautiful catch to complete Alabama’s comeback, but DeBoer deserves some recognition for Brooks’ star turn. After all, it was DeBoer himself who worked with Brooks and Alabama’s other receivers in the two weeks before the first round.

Former Alabama receivers coach JaMarcus Shepherd was named the head coach at Oregon State the day before the Iron Bowl. That put Alabama in a bind. Shepherd coached the game against Auburn, but Alabama has since hired former Auburn position coach Derrick Nix to coach receivers.

In a pinch, DeBoer helped with Shephard’s duties before the first round of the playoffs. I thought losing Shepard was going to put Alabama at a disadvantage against Oklahoma. Silly me. DeBoer’s influence on the receivers room actually gave Alabama an edge.

DeBoer is apparently pretty tough, too.

“He’s probably the hardest on us if anything,” receiver Germie Bernard said a few weeks ago.

No one believed it at the time, but I’m not questioning DeBoer anymore.

DeBoer delivered a Christmas miracle, and now Alabama is playing for the roses. You might be laughing, but Saban never won a first-round playoff game on the road at night after trailing by 17 points.

Can DeBoer build off that success for Alabama’s quarterfinal match-up against Indiana?

After the win against Oklahoma, DeBoer credited Alabama’s resiliency and said that good teams get better and better throughout the playoffs. For Alabama to win the Rose Bowl, it’s probably going to take another All-American effort from one of the receivers.

Alabama is a sizable underdog against Indiana for its New Year’s Day bowl game. The Hoosiers are a 6.5-point favorite against the Crimson Tide (11-3). Indiana is undefeated (13-0) and features the Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback.

Wait a second. Have we seen this scenario before?

Doesn’t the Rose Bowl feel a lot like the 2009 SEC championship game?

Florida was the No.1 team in the country in 2009, and a guy named Tim Tebow was the best player in college football. We all know what happened next. Alabama unseated the defending national champs and Tebow went home in tears.

That was Saban’s big moment. Alabama was a 4.5-point underdog, but college football was never the same after Alabama’s 32-13 victory against the top-ranked Gators.

Coincidentally, Alabama went on to win the Rose Bowl.

I’m not doubting DeBoer anymore. That was 2025. In 2026, I’m listening with a more hopeful ear.

For a long time, it seemed like DeBoer tried his best to never say anything interesting or profound. He broke that protocol earlier this week when talking about the Rose Bowl. For me, it was a window into DeBoer’s brilliance.

The key to winning playoff games, DeBoer said, is “playing fast in the big moments.”

Saban had Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and Roy Upchurch in the backfield for the 2010 Rose Bowl against Texas.

Murderball, they called it.

DeBoer’s game is Speedball, and he’s got Brooks, Bernard and Isaiah Horton. Can defenders from Indiana really cover those guys?

Oh, and don’t forget about that guy named Ryan Williams.

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