Note: Week 7 of the college football season is here. Make your picks for Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero using this link or with the embedded form at the bottom of the column. Each week, winners of the 6-0 Challenge will be celebrated in Joe’s weekly newsletter, “SPORTS! Happy Hour.” Don’t forget, picks are against the spread.
Kalen DeBoer wore a T-shirt during Vanderbilt’s 40-35 beat down of No.1 Alabama. People have opinions. Let’s just say the emails were buttoned up and first class. Didn’t expect a midweek mailbag on fashion, but here we are.
Alexander of Huntsville writes …
You dress for success!!! You dress like a bum, you play like a bum! You don’t see players on the Walk of Champions in a $3.99 bargain basement t-shirt. I expect more, this is ALABAMA! Not some West Coast fly-by-night university. It reminds me of the Mike DuBose era. Clap your hands and say encouraging things. No real leadership, no discipline. Furthermore the temper tantrum that Malachi Moore displayed at the end of the game was embarrassing. He should get at least a half-game suspension.
We got beat, period. Win with dignity, lose with dignity. Period!
Am I showing my age? Yep! I grew up with a father that was part of the great generation. If I would have shown that action on the field, never mind what the coach would have done to me, I’d be scared of what Daddy would do to me when I got home.
I love my Tide, winning or losing … As the Bear would say, “Act like we’ve been there before.” Roll Tide.
ANSWER: Certified mailbag Hall of Famer right there. I counted seven exclamation points total, so that’s enough for a touchdown and an extra point. I can confidently say that Kalen DeBoer is not the second coming of Mike DuBose. That said, well, DuBose never lost to Vandy.
But let’s be real. Wednesday marks one month since I wrote a column positing that Vanderbilt had a good team. The headline back in September: “Crazy question, but is Vanderbilt back?” We haven’t seen a Vanderbilt team like this in a long time. How long? Let’s just say that the Greatest Generation would be feeling a touch of nostalgia here in 2024.
The Commodores went 2-10 last season and 0-8 in the SEC. We’re learning that in the transfer portal/NIL era of college football, an enterprising coach can transform his school’s entire image in just a couple months.
As Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia likes to say, and I’m paraphrasing here, Vandy is indeed turnt.
Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea brought in 51 players over the offseason, including Pavia and all his buddies from New Mexico State. It’s the Deion Sanders model all over again except this time everyone is celebrating Vanderbilt instead of laughing at Coach Prime. But it’s well documented that I’ve been backing Coach Prime from the beginning. He’s a change agent for the entire sport of college football, and that’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t wind up in the SEC as early as next season.
Coach Prime would do the most damage at a school like Florida, Arkansas or Auburn, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to dress the part wherever life takes him.
Mitchell in New York writes …
Your column on Coach Kalen DeBoer’s sideline dress is spot on. Coach DeBoer is the face of the University on national TV. He should be held to a much higher standard when it comes to his appearance on game day. The fans in the stands dress better than he does. Thanks for shining a light on this topic.
Connie in Starkville, Miss., writes …
Coach DeBoer should seek advice from Biff Poggi on how to dress on the sidelines.
ANSWER: Charlotte coach Biff Poggi has made some interesting fashion choices over the years. He likes to cut T-shirts into tank tops and wear them during practice or even during games. At Charlotte, the school even sells cutoff shirts in the university bookstores as a nod to their beach-casual coach. Good for Charlotte. Let’s just say that Poggi won’t be coaching at Alabama anytime soon.
Ron in Northern California writes …
I sure hope Greg Byrne informed Coach DeBoer that Alabama sports writers are also fashion critics. I got the point of your column, but really, can we just let the man get settled in? He’s had a lot to digest these last nine months, and I’m not sure there is another coach out there that could have done a better job … well maybe Mike Norvell could have. Look, I think Coach DeBoer is a great coach, and I look forward to watching him win the national championship this year and in the coming years.
Honestly, I think Vandy would have beaten a Saban-coached team that day. I doubt a Saban-lead team would have put up 35 points in the same period of time. You might point to the penalties and say Bama was undisciplined, but if one looks back to last year, Saban’s team had a ton of penalties throughout the season…Let’s face it, from my perspective, since Bama won the 2020 National Championship, Bama just seemed different under Saban. They just didn’t feel like the Bama of old. I can’t put my finger on it, but something seemed off.
ANSWER: I reached out to Ron after his thoughtful email. Ron grew up in Southern California before moving up north. He’s a former Army brat and his dad was from Alabama. The family ended up in California, but they’ve remained close to the Tide ever since. I love that.
College football fandom is a multi-generational cultural investment. As the newly appointed fashion critic of college football, I should probably point out that wearing a proper shirt on the sideline is the least a coach can do to respect the rich history of a school like Alabama. Then again, my weekly newsletter features a picture of me gripping a beer and wearing a Legion Field T-shirt, so what do I really know?
Saban’s Alabama teams were never the same after 2020 because pay-for-play in the form of NIL payments began changing the sport in 2021. Remember when Saban accused Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher of buying his entire recruiting class and everyone freaked out? Well, if coaches in the SEC aren’t buying their entire recruiting classes in 2025, then those coaches won’t be in the SEC for long.
After 2020, Saban could no longer stockpile talent. By 2023, he was out of the sport.
Bob in Birmingham writes …
Great column, Joe. Glad to see someone brought this issue to attention. I am a “Clothes Hound.” I put the blame on Nike and Adidas. They pay the money and expect their schools to adhere. I watch other games and see coaches dressing similarly. Just an observation.
ANSWER: Apparel deals ruined fashion in college football years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic then changed how Americans dress for their jobs. But this mailbag column isn’t some kind of obnoxious think piece on cultural identity in post-pandemic America. It’s time to inject a little style back into the sidelines of the SEC. Greg Sankey needs to start issuing fines for anyone dressed in pajamas for a football game. Let’s start the revolution, Bob.
Barry from Bay Minette writes …
Who cares about the T-shirt or Hoodie? Did anyone ever criticize Coach Bill Belichick when he was winning multiple Super Bowls? We have a new era with a new coach. I have read more times than one about the shirt and how the man dresses. It is about the DEFENSE and how they got whipped at the point of attack. They were not ready for Vandy’s style of offensive play. Vanderbilt controlled the clock and made plays when they needed to. Ask yourself this: Would I write a column about how the man dresses if Alabama would have won the game?
