Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer isn't feeling any additional pressure in his new job because he's replacing a legend.

Speaking to reporters from SEC media days on Wednesday, DeBoer called it "a great honor" to follow Nick Saban and carry on the success the Crimson Tide have had for the past 17 years.

"I totally get it," DeBoer said of the shadow cast by his predecessor. "There's only one Coach Saban. This program is special. I take it as a great honor to do anything we can to carry on the great tradition. It was more coaching football is coaching football."

Saban caught many people by surprise when he announced his retirement on Jan. 10 after one of the most successful runs any head coach in FBS history has ever had with a single program.

Alabama has only had one season with more than two losses since 2008. The program won six national titles in his tenure and played in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game six times, with three wins, since the playoff format was adopted in 2014.

The Crimson Tide own the longest streak of consecutive 10-win seasons in FBS history with 16 dating back to 2008. They have won nine SEC titles since 2009 and haven't finished finished lower than second in the SEC West since 2010.

Replicating that consistent level of success is virtually impossible.

DeBoer has a great resume to draw on as he looks to establish his own legacy in Tuscaloosa. The 49-year-old went 9-3 in 2021 at Fresno State after the program won a total of seven games in the previous two seasons.

Washington's turnaround was instantaneous when DeBoer was hired in November 2021. The Huskies went 11-2 in his first season, their first time with double-digit wins since 2018.

Last season, the Huskies went undefeated in the regular season, winning the Pac-12 title for the first time since 2018. They advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game before losing to Michigan.

Washington's 14 wins in 2023 set a new school record, two more than the previous high-water mark done in 1991 and 2016.

DeBoer's first game as Alabama head coach will be on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky at Bryant-Denny Stadium.